Stepping Stool
by Ikedawg43
Summary: Neo is bored while undercover at Beacon as part of Cinder's team, and could use a distraction. Jaune is looking to get over his crush on Weiss. How do they meet? A dating app, of course. Just a nice distraction for Neo and that's all. Right? Co-written with Mallobaude. Cover art by Mallobaude.
1. Chapter 1

**Ah, well, here we go with another new fic. Remember when I said I was done writing after MoNT? Yeah, me neither. This story is something new for me to try, though: **_**fluff**_**. **

**Yeah, I have no clue what I'm doing on that front. Fortunately, I'm not the only author. This fic is being co-authored, so I'm writing about half of each chapter. If you want to know by whom, the co-author is writing the closing AN to this chapter.**

**Unless he just doesn't feel like it. If that's the case, I guess it remains a mystery. Hopefully he's feeling chatty and wants to explain how we came up with this story idea.**

**\- _Ikedawg43_**

* * *

**Stepping Stool**

* * *

Things were tensely quiet in JNPR's dorm as Pyrrha sat at her desk, pretending to do her readings for Oobleck's class. She doubted Ren bothered to notice, but Pyrrha could feel Nora's eyes on the back of her head. The champion wasn't fooling her fellow red-head. Nora knew that Pyrrha was waiting anxiously.

Jaune had left a few minutes earlier, guitar in hand. He hadn't said a word, but the look of hope and excitement on his face as he left - oh yeah, and the guitar - told Pyrrha that he was going to confess his love for Weiss again. _As if it's just that easy for him_. Gods above, sometimes she envied Jaune for that, almost more than she envied Weiss for the direct attention he gave h-

Pyrrha's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Jaune was back!

She immediately felt terrible for being excited when she saw the dejected look on his face. His latest attempt to woo Weiss has gone as everyone else could have predicted. As much as it hurt her to see Jaune look so sad, Pyrrha recognized that this was her opportunity to be there for him. Maybe some of his courage would rub off on her.

She locked eyes with Nora, before flicking her head towards the doorway. Pyrrha wanted her and Ren out. Nora gave Pyrrha an indignant look as she glanced between her and Jaune, as if to say _really? __Y__ou__ are finally about to make a move?_ Pyrrha gave Nora a slight scowl and flicked her head at the door more aggressively, all while making sure to switch to a neutral expression if Jaune turned her way.

"You know what sounds good right now? Pancakes," Nora announced, hoping off her bed and making her way over to Ren's. "I bet the kitchen's restocked. _Reeeennnnnnnn~~_"

"I'd rather continue reading, Nora."

"_Ren!_" Nora snapped aggressively enough to get the boy to look up, where Nora flicked her head towards Pyrrha. She gave him an awkward, apologetic smile. Whether or not he figured it out, he allowed himself to be dragged out of the room.

Leaving Pyrrha with Jaune. _Right. You can do this, Pyrrha._ Just be there for him.

"I… take it that Weiss is not a fan of music?" Pyrrha asked awkwardly, fully aware of Weiss' previous career as a singer.

"Not from me, apparently," Jaune mumbled as he stashed his guitar under his bed. "Sorry, I'm just… not in a great mood right now, Pyrrha."

Jaune sat down on his bed, staring ahead blankly. That gave Pyrrha an opening. She walked over to sit down next to him on the bed, almost close enough to touch him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Pyrrha asked, not really knowing what else to say.

"No," Jaune grumbled. "Well… yes. I don't know. She just-"

Jaune cut himself off and looked over at her, and she made sure that he knew she was paying attention to him.

"I'm beginning to think that it's not possible to win her over," Jaune said finally, dropping his eyes to his lap. Pyrrha, for as nice as she was, had to resist the urge to blurt out _duh._ Nora was a horrible influence on her. "I always thought that I'd meet someone I'm crazy about and then I'd be able to woo her, but I'm having second thoughts now."

Pyrrha hated to hear that. Jaune's outlook was so pure sometimes that it really did break her heart to hear him struggling to keep faith in himself. If only she could make him see that it really _was _that simple, if he'd just give her even a passing glance. She couldn't let him afford to think that he didn't have any shot in the world with anyone.

"I like to think that you really can fall in love with someone who loves you back," Pyrrha reassured Jaune. The irony was not lost on her. "Maybe Weiss just… isn't the right person for you."

'_Maybe,'_ she thought sarcastically.

"After what Weiss said, I think there might not be anyone."

"What did… Weiss say?" Pyrrha asked uncertainly.

"She told me that no one would ever go out with me if I kept stalking her with my guitar," Jaune admitted glumly. Pyrrha did her best not to nod in agreement there. It would be for the best if that guitar found its way out the window, and that was coming from _her_. "I think her words were '_you're so annoying that there isn't a self-respecting woman alive who would even consider saying yes_' when I asked her out."

"She said what?" Pyrrha let out indignantly. She understood that Weiss was frustrated with Jaune's advances - a notion that Pyrrha agreed with the heiress on - but that sounded harsh, even from Weiss. Worse, Weiss was well-aware of the way Pyrrha looked at Jaune, so you'd have to forgive the champion for being a little insulted.

"Yeah, so that's what I've been dealing with…"

"Weiss doesn't know what she's talking about, Jaune," Pyrrha announced in a rare burst of courage, turning herself to face Jaune more fully. "There are plenty of women who you would make more than happy."

Jaune looked up at her with a ray of hope on his face, which made her stomach flutter. "Really?"

"Absolutely. I've never been more certain of something." Not that saying such was difficult. What _was_ difficult for her was proving the statement true to Jaune, right here and right now. She was so close. "I think that maybe you've been focusing on Weiss too much to see what's right in front of you."

_Gods_, she was so close! Was this actually going to happen? The butterflies in her stomach were going wild.

"I just need to do something to find them!" Jaune announced excitedly, filled with the inspiration she'd given him.

"Exactly!" _Wait._ "..._them?_"

"Yeah," Jaune replied, flashing her a huge smile as he dug his scroll out of his pocket. "All the lovely ladies who would like me!"

Pyrrha's face contorted into a confused shape that had never been seen before, and of course Jaune didn't even notice, too concerned with playing with his scroll.

"Jaune, I don't think you understood what I meant-"

"No, this is great, Pyrrha!" Jaune let out. He was just so… _happy_ that Pyrrha couldn't bring herself to interrupt him. "It's just like you said. There are lots of ladies who would like me. I just have to get out there and find them, right?"

"...right," Pyrrha let out defeatedly.

"What would you say my best feature is?" Jaune asked abruptly, turning and giving her such a pure, inquisitive look that Pyrrha was caught off-guard.

"Your best feature?" Pyrrha repeated the question nervously. Was this her chance to tell Jaune what she saw in him? "I've always been inspired by how hard you work to show you belong here."

Jaune looked at her funny. "What? No, I meant, like, physically. What's my best feature?"

"O-Oh." She felt silly and a blush crept up her face. "W-Well, you have pretty eyes, and you're pretty strong, and tall, and-"

"_Tall_. I can work with that," Jaune announced before going back to his scroll, leaving a very confused Pyrrha.

"What are you looking for, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at his scroll screen. He was currently looking through the app store.

"Well, what better way to put myself out there than a dating app?" Jaune asked redundantly. "I'm just looking for one that will work for me."

"A… dating app?" Pyrrha repeated dubiously. She had been so close, and had instead accidentally inspired Jaune to turn to a dating app?

Actually, the more she thought about it, maybe she could use this. Clearly, she was struggling to tell Jaune how she felt, and he wasn't going to notice it without some help. But if she and Jaune got a match on a dating app? There was no way that Jaune could misread that.

And she was sitting next to him, too. All she had to do was catch the name of the app he joined. They lived so close to one another that it would take no time at all for them to get paired up - literally, they lived a few feet from each other. Plus, she wouldn't have to build up the courage to make a first move.

It was perfect.

"Have you found one yet?"

"I did!" Jaune answered excitedly. "I figure, hey, might as well put my best feature forward, right?"

Well if _that_ didn't give her some ideas. Maybe Yang could lend Pyrrha a low-cut shirt for a profile photo.

"That sounds like a wise strategy," Pyrrha concurred. "What app did you decide on?"

"It's called Stepping Stool," Jaune answered. "It's one of those apps where you swipe right if you like someone, but it has a special gimmick that should work in my favor."

"Oh?" Pyrrha asked, already thinking of Jaune's surprise when he had a match by the end of the day - with her, of course. "And what is that?"

"Height requirements," Jaune answered. "The app is designed to pair tall guys with short girls. It has a height maximum for girls and a minimum for guys! Isn't that cool?"

"Height… maximum?"

"Yeah!" Jaune confirmed with a huge, excited grin and he continued to set up his profile. "I figured that since I liked Weiss, maybe I just have a thing for short girls. And since I'm tall, this should work out perfectly for me!"

"Y-Yeah," Pyrrha mumbled distantly, as all her plans shattered around her. "T-That does sound perfect."

Yes, because if there was one feature that Pyrrha Nikos was known for, it was how short she was.

"I think I'll… leave you to it, Jaune," Pyrrha announced, her voice almost disembodied from her poor soul. She stood up and made for the door. "I need to go do some training."

"Okay! Good luck!" Jaune called out, oblivious to everything she had just gone through. "Oh, Pyrrha?"

"_YES?!_" she whipped around instantly, as a new well of hope started to spring. Maybe he was just slow, and finally got the hint while she was-

"Thanks for the advice!" Jaune called out, holding his phone up. "I think this is going to work. I don't know what I'd do without your support."

"I'm just… happy to help."

* * *

This was a great idea! Pyrrha had never led Jaune astray before, and it totally looked like that streak was continuing. Well, okay, she had encouraged him to tell Weiss his feelings and that hadn't done so well, but that wasn't Pyrrha's fault. As far as he was concerned, Pyrrha's advice was still top-notch.

I mean, it made so much sense. He had a huge crush on Weiss, but that wasn't because of her personality; he just loved what he saw in a way that he never had with anyone else. And since Weiss was short, maybe that was part of the reason. So finding a dating app that would help him find short girls was brilliant! Pyrrha was just awesome at this stuff.

"Alrighty, Jaune, let's get your profile up and running!" Jaune announced to himself cheerfully, kicking back against the headboard of his bed and holding his scroll up in front of him. "Step one: your name. Well hey, that one's pretty easy."

_Jaune Arc._ Eight letters, one space. Just like that, Jaune was already one step closer to finding someone. It was such a surreal feeling that the love of his life was only a few buttons away now.

Next came location. Again, this was pretty easy, since he could just let the app use his scroll's tracker. He figured that he didn't have to worry about anyone stealing his address and sending people to rob him; he _did_ live at a combat school that was separated from the rest of the city by a five-minute bullhead ride. With one button press, that was taken care of.

"Alright, photo time," he announced giddily. The app offered him the opportunity to upload several photos straight from his scroll's library, meaning that Jaune got to choose only his best pictures.

_Well, obviously the picture of me at Beacon's gym should be first._ It would show off that Jaune was active and tall. The pose was a little silly - he was standing in front of a wall mirror and showing off his biceps to the camera - but that would just endear him more. He didn't exactly have much muscle to _show_ for it, being a noodle and all, but he felt the photo showed him being proactive. As long as they realized that the photo was old, any girl would know that he'd been putting on more muscle in the meantime.

He scrolled through his photos some more.

_Oooh, I have to upload a photo of me in my armor!_ Chicks love knights in shining armor, and Jaune Arc was something, it was definitely a knight. The photo he had was so cool, too, with him in his chest plate and greaves with a serious look on his face. Crocea Mors was held above his head with the point facing at the camera, so that it looked like the blade was almost sticking out of the screen. Such a badass photo was guaranteed to score Jaune some points.

What else?

_A picture in the Beacon uniform. _His father told him that ladies loved a man in uniform. Chances are all the girls nearby that Jaune will match with are already at Beacon, but on the chance his profile reaches all the way to Vale, that was always a good thing to throw in. Plus, he was pretty sure he pulled that look off.

_Oh yeah, I totally need to throw some photos of me with my team on there. _After all, his team was both awesome and cool. How could that ever work _against _him? He chose one where they all linked arms to take a group photo with Jaune and Ren in the middle. Nora was hanging off of Ren's side on one side, and the guy didn't even know that Nora was totally doing that to get close to him. On the other side, Pyrrha did the same thing to Jaune so that she matched Nora's pose. It made for a cute picture, and that would totally look good on his profile.

That was probably enough photos for any ladies to get a good sense of who Jaune Arc was. He couldn't imagine how to put a better foot forward, but Jaune figured he could go ahead and take a fresh photo to throw on there, just in case. He hopped up and walked over to the bathroom, and took a pretty generic bathroom mirror selfie, giving the camera a big smile. Jaune couldn't afford for them to think he was unhappy, after all.

With that done, Jaune plopped back down on his bed and got started on the next part of his profile.

"_Biography: tell everyone about yourself,_" Jaune read off the prompt on the screen. "Oh boy, this is where things really make or break. Everyone knows that dating apps are all about good, witty bios, and that the photos are really just extra."

He couldn't afford to write a bad bio, so Jaune decided to plan out what he wanted it to show about him.

First, _obviously_, he wanted it to show that Jaune was funny. Girls _loved_ humor almost as much as they loved confidence, according to his father. If Jaune wanted to come across as both confident _and_ funny, then he needed to start the bio off immediately with a great joke.

But he also didn't want to come across as a douche. That would sink _any_ chance of a girl being attracted to him. It was super critical to show that he was self-aware and respectful, otherwise this thing would end up disastrous for him.

He started typing.

_Perks of dating me: ...uh, let's come back to this part__._

Brilliant! It was funny and relatable, and also broke the ice. Everyone on the app had to write a bio and knew how hard it was, so that meant that everyone was guaranteed to get the joke. Plus, self-depreciation showed that Jaune wasn't some self-absorbed jerk. That line could not have been written any better.

With the ice broken and any reader captivated, Jaune could launch right into personal info.

_The name's Jaune Arc. Try saying it out loud. You'll notice it's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. About me? Oh, nothing much, just training to be a Huntsman here at Beacon Academy! I'm the Team Leader of the awesome Team JNPR, so maybe you'll see us out there saving the world soon. If you do, don't be shy and say hi! We don't bite, haha._

Oh man, Jaune was on a roll. He had to keep this going.

_I'm a pretty tall guy, and I'm just looking for a lovely young lady to make very happy, so, how does dinner sound? If you're into movies, I could totally take you to that new Spruce Willis movie too!_

Man, was it really _this_ easy? Those lines killed!

After putting it all together and reading it, Jaune decided that he was just missing one final touch. He laughed softly to himself as he topped off the joke he had written at the beginning.

_Perks of dating me: ...uh, let's come back to this part__._

_The name's Jaune Arc. Try saying it out loud. You'll notice it's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. About me? Oh, nothing much, just training to be a Huntsman here at Beacon Academy! I'm the Team Leader of the awesome Team JNPR, so maybe you'll see us out there saving the world soon. If you do, don't be shy and say hi! We don't bite, haha._

_I'm a pretty tall guy, and I'm just looking for a lovely young lady to make very happy, so, how does dinner sound? If you're into movies, I could totally take you to that new Spruce Willis movie too!_

_...nope, still haven't thought of anything for that first part, haha lol._

That totally brought it all together. Jaune could not wait to publish his profile. He was beginning to worry what would happen when he matched with multiple people. Did he give the first one to match first dibs? If the second person got along with him better, would it be rude to the first one to skip over her? Surely she would understand, but Jaune knew that if it was him that got skipped over he'd be a little hurt.

Oh well. He'd deal with that later. It was time to get to swiping!

* * *

"And finally, Pyrrha Nikos," Cinder's fangirl noted.

Finally. _Finally._ That meant that this tedium was finally coming to an end, right?

Neo Politan sat on one of the vacant beds in her false team's dorm room in Beacon Academy. _Team._ She didn't need a team. The thought of these people being close to her disgusted the young woman. The only person she needed in her life was Roman Torchwick. He was the only friend she'd ever had or needed. More than just a friend, however. A mentor. A father figure. Her partner in crime.

Still, Roman had told her to play nice with her new 'classmates'. Change was coming not only to the kingdom of Vale, but the entire world. Change that they would play a part in. Roman had specifically told her that they both had their parts to play in the grand scheme of the woman known to them as Cinder Fall. Necessary parts at that. It was far better to go with the flow and play their parts rather than resist and face utter annihilation. Neo couldn't agree more.

There would be blood. Fire. Revolution. The strong would devour the weak as they always did. That was the single constant rule of the world. And Neo, thanks to Roman, would be among the strong. When the dust finally settled and the smoke cleared, she would still be standing at Roman's side. And they would be kings in the new world which they had helped usher in.

"Aaahhh, the Invincible Girl," the raven-haired woman sitting atop another of the beds said knowingly.

"She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible," Gimpy said while lying on the floor like a child. The fact that he was reading a children's comic book didn't help with the image he gave off.

"Doooo teeellll," Cinder said with as much sex appeal as an amateur scroll sex operator, despite how hard she was clearly trying..

Speaking of scrolls, Neo frowned as she stared down at the scroll game she was currently playing. She needed a nickname for Cinder. One which fit her tryhard seductress schtick.

Fangirl and Gimpy had been easy enough. Emerald carried a torch for Cinder so bright that one might mistake her for having a legitimate romantic crush on the older girl. Mercury meanwhile had those strange robotic legs which he concealed from the rest of the world. Normally Neo wouldn't make fun of cripples, she being mute herself. Glass houses and all that. However, Mercury was also a prick. That made him fair game. So Gimpy he was.

At this point Neo honestly began just tuning out the conversation that was going on in front of her. Fangirl and Gimpy were explaining the finer details of Pyrrha's Semblance to... to...

A harsh breath shot from Neo's nostrils. She really needed a degrading nickname for Mistress Tryhard over there.

Mistress Tryhard? Nah, too long. Too many syllables.

Speaking of tryhard, Neo's teeth gritted together as another one of those tryhard, pay to win losers beat her in her mobile game. Whoever invented microtransactions on games should be tarred and feathered in public. Neo would personally lead the mob. She may have been a criminal, but even _she_ wouldn't spend other people's lien on a crappy little mobile game.

Cinder hummed. "People assume she's fated for victory when she's really taken fate into her own hands." She paused briefly. "Interesting. Add her to the list."

Oooooh! The list! The _list_! How ominous!

Neo rolled her eyes at... Madame... Madame Suck... nah. Despite the fact that Cinder did indeed suck, she only did so metaphorically. The wannabe seductress had probably never even seen a dick in her life. She was all bark and no bite as far as Neo was concerned. Not that one should be biting while sucking... but Cinder probably didn't know that. She'd probably try to literally blow a cock during a blow job.

"You should be able to take her no problem," Gimpy himself sucked up. Probably hoped he'd get laid if he stuck around long enough. Newsflash, Captain Grayhair: Cinder's not gonna do your crippled ass. Even Fangirl had a better shot than you.

"It's not about overpowering the enemy," Cinder explained with a pretentious hand gesture. "It's about taking away what power they have. And we will. In time."

Oh. My. Gods. Could this woman get anymore lame? This Cinder chick really needed to get laid. Maybe then she'd at least not be so wound up and obnoxious. Shit, Neo would settle for getting _herself_ laid if it meant getting away from the inane ramblings of Team CMEN.

Neo's lips curled into a smirk. CMEN. She idly wondered if Cinder even realized what their team name was phonetically. Probably not.

"I hate waiting," Gimpy said with a sigh as he fell back onto the floor, his hands behind his head softening the fall.

_And I hate you,_ Neo thought, wishing that his head had indeed crashed down to the floor unprotected and given him more brain damage than he already had.

Wait a minute. Getting laid. Or if not that, at least finding someone else to hang out with so that she'd have an excuse to step away from this chore of a mission. That could actually work!

Closing down the scroll game that she hated to love and loved to hate, Neo opened up her application search. Dating apps. If she could find someone nearby to go out with she could not only get away from her tryhard evil teammates, but probably score some free meals as well. It was the perfect plan!

Stepping Stool. This one seemed a fine enough choice. A brief description told Neo that it was specifically made for short women seeking tall men. Huh. Well, she met those criteria with no issue at all. And while pretty much any man over the age of twelve would be taller than her, she did like a nice, tall man...

"Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us."

_Damn right we do._ Once Neo was on board with Stepping Stool she'd be having plenty of fun away from these people.

After downloading the app, Neo found that she needed to create her profile. Wonderful. Things like her name, height, biography and at least one picture were required. That should be simple enough.

Neo. No last name needed here. Short, sweet, and to the point. Just like her. Never mind the fact that the point was the razor-sharp tip of Hush.

Height. Her tiny fingers hesitated for just a moment. In her high-heeled boots she stood at four feet nine inches tall. Without them...

She shook her head and decided to enter her height with her boots on. She had never been too self-conscious of her height, but actually seeing 4'5" written there on the screen made her pause briefly. Yes. To the outside world she would be 4'9".

Biography... what was there to say? She was a career criminal working with Team Tryhard to destroy Beacon Academy? Nah, she didn't even need a bio. She as a girl, after all. And unlike the rest of her teammates, she wouldn't even have to try to attract men by the dozen.

_I'm mute and I'm hot,_ she wrote. _That's all you need to know._

With a satisfied smile, Neo nodded before moving on to the last bit of required information: a photo of herself. She'd been forced by her 'team leader' to leave her normal scroll behind because that was too risky, which meant she hadn't had this Beacon scroll for very long. Neo texted people almost exclusively through picture-messaging apps, though, so she had a couple of selfies already in this scroll.

Maybe later she'd go down and raid Beacon's kitchen for some whipped cream to take a _real_ profile photo. With her natural hair color, it would make quite a tantalizing sight to anyone scrolling through the ladies of this app, which was sure to win her any guy's favor.

_Not that anyone would ever swipe left on me to begin with,_ she thought arrogantly, but correctly.

In any case, Neo was also a little picky about what picture to show off, not really liking any of her stock selfies. She opened her camera application instead. Pursing her lips ever so gently, Neo tilted her head at a slight angle and to the side. One click later, she had the ideal duck face picture that she knew air-headed bimbos in Vale loved to take. Again, the perfect piece of bait to lure in every single guy on this app.

With her profile created she was welcomed to the app, and was now free to begin scrolling through the men in her area who were also using the service.

Who popped up as the closest men to Neo quite frankly shocked her.

0.1 miles away from her was the grinning face of one of her new classmates. Cardin Winchester stood at a very intimidating six feet six inches tall. Without her heels, about two full feet taller than herself. She'd seen the boy around before, mostly picking on that rabbit-eared second-year girl who for some reason refused to defend herself. Wasn't this school about learning to fight? How were you going to fight the Grimm if you couldn't even stand up for yourself against a school bully? Or was that some passivism bullshit where it wasn't worth reacting to? Because Neo would have stabbed Winchester by now.

Swipe left. Cardin may have been tall, but he was also a dick. And not the kind of dick she was looking for either.

0.1 miles. Dr... Dr. Oobleck? A set of pink and brown eyes widened to see the spectacled professor smiling as he held a mug of coffee in his hand beside his face.

_Must love coffee. Must love dogs, _read his profile. Sure, those traits were admirable enough, but it was also Doctor-effing-Oobleck. Much older than her, and to be quite frank, talked too much for both of them even if she was a mute.

What was he even doing matching with his students? Weren't there age parameters? Ugh.

Swipe. Left.

0.1 miles. Yatsuhashi Daichi. Standing at an impressive seven feet tall, he was a mountain of a man who stood taller than even Oobleck and Ozpin. Probably as tall as that Junior guy who ran the club down in the seedy part of Vale, and that Roman borrowed men from recently.

"Neo, are you listening?" the sudden voice of Cinder cut through the room.

The young woman looked up from her scroll to see Cinder and the other two standing before her. Had she zoned out that completely that she missed out on the end of their discussion?

"Are you playing on your scroll while we're strategizing?" Fangirl asked, like a loyal, yapping purse dog at Cinder's side.

_Yes._ She shook her head no.

"And what might I ask are you doing?" Cinder wondered.

Neo held up her scroll letting them see the reverse image through the back of the transparent screen, which showed the trio the face of their classmate.

"Ahh, Yatsuhashi. I know of this one, he could be a threat in the tournament." Cinder smiled menacingly. She watched Neo with some strange sort of approval that made her want to take a shower. "Very good. Continue scouting for potential pitfalls to our plan."

The short girl smiled and nodded, giving Cinder an energetic thumbs up before swiping left again. It wasn't that Yatsuhashi was too tall, or even too ugly, but there was weird, deep-sounding poetry on his profile. She didn't care about the lotus flower or the blue corn moon. All she wanted was some free food, and if the conditions were right, a good time. Waxing philosophically with the gentle giant wasn't her idea of fun.

Cinder and her cronies left the room leaving Neo alone. Alone to continue on her quest for a suitable match.

0.1 miles. Jaune Arc. She'd seen the dopey looking boy around before. He wasn't all that physically impressive compared to the others. In fact with his scraggly blond hair and average facial features, he was quite normal looking. Not even the tallest of the men she'd encountered so far. Barely above six feet.

But then again, height alone didn't make for an appealing potential partner.

_The name's Jaune Arc. Try saying it out loud. You'll notice it's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. About me? Oh, nothing much, just training to be a Huntsman here at Beacon Academy! I'm the Team Leader of the awesome Team JNPR, so maybe you'll see us out there saving the world soon. If you do, don't be shy and say hi! We don't bite, haha._

Dopey was an understatement. Wait, did he write Team JNPR in his profile? That meant he was...

Pyrrha Nikos' partner!?

Neo's eyes lit up. Cinder had added the girl to her mysterious list of mystery. If Neo could manage to bag Jaune Arc and spend some time with him... then Cinder would think it was part of her mission to scout out potential enemies!

A look at his uploaded photos showed Jaune with the rest of his team, including one redheaded tourney champion at his side. Neo's lips curled into a smirk when she realized Pyrrha nearly matched his height. Interesting that Jaune found himself on a dating app specifically for short girls when he had an amazing girl like Pyrrha literally hanging off his arm.

_Guess he's just not into tall girls,_ she thought amusedly. _Sorry, Pyrrha._

_I'm a pretty tall guy, and I'm just looking for a lovely young lady to make very happy, so, how does dinner sound? If you're into movies, I could totally take you to that new Spruce Willis movie too!_

Tall, dopey, _and_ offering her food? Not to mention the perk of being an excuse to get out of Cinder's presence? A movie was an extra two, maybe three hours of distraction.

Neo couldn't swipe right fast enough. _Mine mine mine!_

Content with finding her perfect target, Neo closed down the app and fell backwards onto her bed. All she had to do was wait for him to match with her. And he _would_ swipe right when he saw her. Much like how the sun rose in the east and set in the west, it was inevitable.

Great. Now that Yatsuhashi guy's lame poetry was rubbing off on her.

With a happy sigh, and finally free from her teammates, Neo stretched out across the bed she barely made a dent in and closed her eyes to rest.

* * *

"Whatcha doing, Vomit Boy?" Yang called out, walking up to stand behind the bench Jaune was sitting down on. The rest of their teams were in the background, playing some game in Beacon's courtyard they'd invented.

"Nothing," Jaune grumbled, not even looking up from his scroll.

Since that was an obvious lie, Yang leaned over her shoulder to watch whatever it was that Jaune had been obsessed with on his scroll for a few days now.

"A dating app?"

Jaune looked up at Yang nervously for a moment, before giving a defeated shrug and tilting the screen so she could see better. "Yeah. Pyrrha gave me the idea a couple of days ago, and I found a cool app that matches tall guys with short girls."

Yang's eyes trailed back over to her team, specifically their bite-sized Dust heiress. "Someone has a type~~"

"Yeah, well, what someone _doesn't _have is any luck at this stupid thing," Jaune grumbled, going back to the app. Yang noticed him scrolling right on every picture that came up, consistently. Some she even recognized, like those bitches she'd pummeled at Junior's club - _and wouldn't that just be hysterical_. Their profile had _both_ their names on it, too, so Yang figured they probably weren't looking for a relationship, if you know what she means. The thought of Jaune accidentally stumbling into that without knowing what he was signing up for was incredibly funny to Yang.

Sadly, just like all the other pictures, Jaune swiping right still didn't get a match with them.

"Come on, you can't be _that _bad at this," Yang reassured Jaune, holding her hand out expectantly. "Let me see your profile."

Jaune handed it over easily. "I read online that if you struggle to find matches, you should try to mix up the time of day that you're swiping. So far I've tried mornings, during Port's class, nights, afternoons… Nothing has worked!"

_Yeesh, no wonder._ Jaune's profile was… uh… bad. There was no nice way to say it.

"Yeah, I don't know, Jaune," Yang lied, not having the heart to look into Jaune's eyes and tell him it made total sense he was striking out. "This should work."

"Really?" Jaune asked, hoping springing anew. Yang's heart sank and she felt awful, and she did her best to give Jaune an encouraging smile. "Do you have any suggestions? Stuff to add?"

"Oh, totally," Yang answered, glad that he'd asked because she didn't want to be the one to say _this has got to change._ "You can totally do better with your little _rolls of the tongue_ line."

"I can?"

"Mmhmm," Yang confirmed, deleting Jaune's version and writing in her own. "Here, try this."

"_The name's Jaune Arc: short, sweet, and rolls off my tongue, just like the lady I'm looking for-_Yang!" Jaune went red by the time he understood what it meant. "I can't put that!"

"Why not?"

"That's totally inappropriate for a dating profile!"

Yang let out a long sigh. She didn't know why she bothered. Jaune clearly had no clue what the point of the app he was on was.

"You're right. I'm messing with you, Vomit Boy." She was not messing with him. The poor fool. She tussled his hair out of pity, like he was a kid who just struck out at his little league game. Not the worst analogy, really. "Maybe it just takes a few days for your profile to get enough views. Keep at it, I'm sure you'll eventually-"

"Oh sweet! A match!" Jaune let out suddenly.

"A _what?_" Yang asked, doing a double-take. And then a triple-take.

"Yeah, look, I got a match!" he let out excitedly. "_Neo_. She's pretty cute, too. This is _awesome!_"

Yang took a quick look over Jaune's shoulder to verify, and sure enough, the boy had done it. _Huh._ "Good job. Totally knew you could do it."

"Thanks," Jaune responded idly, gesturing loosely to their teams. "You can go hang out with them now. I have to craft my hello message."

Yang understood the request for privacy for what it was, shaking her head the whole time as she walked away.

* * *

**Well hello. Mallobaude here, co-writer of this story. So all the good parts were by me, of course.**

**Ike asked me to explain how we came up with this idea, so here it goes: One day I randomly mentioned to him that there should be a dating app specifically made for tall men and short women, seeing how we're both tall bois. We then independently came up with shitpost/crack fic ideas and posted them in Discord for others to see. From there… the ball got rolling, and this was the result.**

**I hope you enjoy what's to come. It's both of our first dives into Silent Knight. Should be fun to do a character who can't speak.**

**Thanks for reading. Let us know what you thought.**

**\- Mallobaude**

* * *

_( we're a pair of tall bois, if you couldn't tell. also jaune's dating profile was based off of my own :/ - ikedawg43 )_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So V7 started. Here's to Miles and Kerry's long-game: Silent Knight.**

**What do you mean that's not going to happen? It's totally gonna happen…**

**-Ike**

* * *

Neo was getting cabin fever. Or dorm room fever. Whatever kind of fever came with being stuck at Beacon Academy.

Classes may have been over, but that simply meant that the boredom began. Unlike most other students here, she didn't have friends. She didn't exactly like the teammates she had been forced to work with, so hanging out with them wasn't an option. Thank the gods for scrolls and scroll games. Even if said games did have an annoying pay to win demographic who wasted their lien and lives on something so stupid.

Sprawled out on her bed, Neo held her scroll above her in both arms. Irritation filled a set of pink and brown eyes as she stared at the screen. It had been a day since she had matched with Jaune Arc. So why hadn't he messaged her yet!

Though it vexed her, Neo could see a reason as to why. The boy didn't want to seem too eager to connect with a stranger who he had only just met via a dating app, and so was waiting before reaching out to her. Much like how some guys waited two to three days before calling a girl after a first date. How annoying.

Neo was a woman of action. Waiting just wasn't her style, but at the same time she wasn't about to lower herself to being the one to initiate the conversation. _He_ had to want _her._ Not the other way around. That was how the game worked. It simply wouldn't do for her to be the one in pursuit of her quarry, no matter how much truth there actually was to it.

Finally, mercifully, after hours of waiting and anticipation, her mark made his first move. The Stepping Stool app gave her an alert that she had received a message. The notification sound of her scroll was the sweetest sound she had heard since coming to Beacon. Especially since she had to listen to Cinder's scheming on a daily basis.

_Hey there, Neo,_ his message read. _It says on the app you're only 0.1 miles away from me. Are you at Beacon?_

A brilliant deduction by the blond boy. Thumbs worked the electronic keypad of her scroll as she typed out a short response. _Yes._

_Oh, cool! I haven't seen you around before. Upperclassman?_

The question gave the girl pause. She was older than the boy, sure, but not an upperclassman. She and the rest of her 'team' were posing as first year students. Cinder needed to put on copious amounts of makeup every morning to ensure that the ruse was pulled off successfully.

_Visiting from Haven._

_Nice! How do you like it here so far?_

Neo glanced around her room. Luckily, her teammates weren't here. She hated it here. She would have much rather been free to paint the town red with Roman until the Vytal Tournament rolled around, but for some reason it had been decided that she should attend with the rest of her false team as not to rouse suspicion.

The lack of friends certainly didn't help matters. Even when the other students were stuck here on campus, they at least had people they liked to be around. People to have fun with, no matter what form of fun that may have been. At least they had others. Neo only had Roman, and Roman sadly could not be here.

_Okay,_ she lied. _Bored,_ she answered more honestly. _Need to get out,_ she finished absolutely truthfully.

_Haha! I know that feeling._

Did you, Jaune Arc? Did you really?

_Let's go out._

Neo stared at the message she had just sent, as seconds ticked by. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. It took more than a full minute before Jaune's response appeared on her screen.

_Like right now?_

Her fingers wasted no time formulating her own response. _Yes._

_Oh. I thought maybe we'd get to know each other a little first._

Getting to know the boy over the app first meant staying in her room. And Neo wanted out. Even if that 'out' was with a strange doofus of a boy.

_We can do that over dinner. Your bio mentioned dinner._

Aside from the benefit of getting out of Beacon, going out with Jaune meant free food. He seemed like he'd try to be a typical gentleman and pay for the entire date himself. A good free meal sounded perfect for Neo's budget. Sure, she had lien thanks to her lifestyle. Plenty of lien, in fact. However, people didn't get rich by spending their own money when they didn't have to.

_Sure did. But I didn't think we'd do it so soon._

Neo's stomach said otherwise. Beacon's cafeteria food wasn't awful, but she'd much rather have some actual city food. _Free _city food of course. The best kind of food.

_No time like the present. Pick me up at 6:30. Room 302 in the transfer student dorms._

She wasn't giving him an option anymore. There was no question about picking her up. If Jaune wanted to move forward with the girl he had matched with, he _would_ be at her dorm on time tonight.

A smile curled on her lips when she read his reply.

_Sure. Sounds good. I'll look for a place in Vale for tonight._

Hook, line, and sinker.

_Can't wait =)_

A little smiley face would repair any damage that might have been done with her forwardness. After all, girls used emojis in their messages, right? Maybe not her, since she wasn't a braindead little tart, but it might endear her to Jaune a little more.

Not that she needed to do any more endearing. She was hot and she knew it. Jaune had just hit the jackpot, even if he was just a ticket for free food and entertainment for the night.

Closing her scroll and setting it aside, Neo looked down at her usual brown and white outfit. Having escaped her Haven Academy uniform, she had decided to don her old comfortable clothes for the rest of the day. She wasn't expecting miracles from the teenage boy tonight. This would be more than sufficient for wherever he decided to take her.

* * *

Jaune knocked on the door that Neo had told him to pick her up at. He was a few minutes early, and there was no way he'd have pulled that off without Pyrrha's quick thinking. She'd taken his formal outfit and made it very casual, which looked good. At least, Jaune really hoped it looked good.

There were voices behind the door, but they were too low for Jaune to understand anything, and he didn't want to be rude and lean in to eavesdrop.

Jaune only had to wait a short moment for the door to open, which was good because he was dreading the waiting. A girl who looked a lot like the one he was here to pick up walked out of the door and closed it behind her quickly. He would have noticed that she seemed eager to leave that room, had he not been distracted by two things: she was _really_ short, and she was wearing… were those… _windows_ for her hips?

Jaune did a quick double take to confirm that, _yes_, there were slits in this girl's top that showed off her hips, and that was incredibly-_stop staring, Jaune!_

"A-Are you Neo?" Jaune asked, forcing himself not to keep looking at her hips. He swore he was just curious about those because he'd never seen anything like them before!

The girl looked up and him and nodded her head to indicate yes.

_Just look her in the eyes, Jaune. _

"Great! I'm Jaune," he introduced himself. His arm started to reach out to Neo, before hitching. It wasn't normal to shake a girl's hand on the first date, was it? No, surely not. He felt stupid that he almost tried it. "So, uh, you seemed pretty eager to go out; I guess you're pretty hungry then. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded to him again, more eagerly this time. That was a good sign.

"Well, if you're ready, then I'm ready! We'll have to take a bullhead from the courtyard to get down to Vale." Jaune stepped aside and, very gentlemanly, motioned for his lady to go first down the hallway.

Neo looked up at Jaune with a strange look in her eyes. Jaune felt like he was being judged, which made him nervous. She was _definitely_ measuring him up, which Jaune figured was a normal thing on a first date, but they hadn't even been together for a minute so far!

It struck Jaune like a ton of bricks a few moments later.

"_Gah! _Right; transfer student. You wouldn't know where the airfield is..." Jaune fumbled, embarrassed. That was not a great start. "My bad, I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I-"

Neo rolled her eyes and walked right past Jaune. It appeared she knew the way after all, so what was that judging look for?

"Oh, yeah, you've probably already been to the airfield at least once by now…" Jaune let out in a mumble, before following behind Neo.

That left him in another tight spot: it was really hard to control his eyes. Neo was short, so he was already looking down just to follow her; eye discipline was both important to him and incredibly difficult.

He wanted really badly to take a look at her butt. She wouldn't know, right? Neo was ahead of him and wasn't looking back. Still, that wasn't the kind of guy he wanted to put forward on a first date.

Jaune settled on overcompensating, staring instead at Neo's feet. The whole walk to the bullhead. He felt it was better than staring at her bottom or, gods forbid, getting lost in those hip windows.

Yes, her shoes were a super safe option.

_Wow, she's _super_ short if she's wearing boots with a heel that tall._

* * *

Mercifully, Jaune's airship sickness didn't cause any problems. There hadn't been any huge incidents since he first came to Beacon and threw up on Yang's shoes, so Jaune was starting to think that it may have been his nerves that made him sick then, and not the ship.

Still, he took no chances. The whole flight, he had stood up and stared straight out the front window of the bullhead. He was worried that he was neglecting his date, but he figured that _not_ throwing up here was worth making things a little awkward.

Besides, she hadn't said anything about it yet.

When they landed, Jaune was the first to hop off, which was totally because he couldn't wait to be on solid ground again. He played it off like he was getting down to offer her a hand, very gentlemanlike.

"Sorry about that," Jaune mumbled awkwardly. "I really don't like flying that much. These feet very much prefer solid ground!" He meant that to be a joke, but felt awkward when it didn't seem to land. "How was the flight to you?"

He was hoping to get a response from her and get a real conversation finally started, but Neo just gave him a shrug.

He decided to go for broke on the humor, hoping that this time it would really punch through. Maybe Neo just felt as awkward as he did and the ice needed to be broken.

"Wow, you're awfully chatty, aren't you?"

It was clear from his voice that Jaune was teasing her, but she gave him a flat look that told him he'd gone wrong. His stomach sank. This date was off to a horrible start. At this rate, he'd be lucky to even make it to the restaurant, and he wasn't sure why it-_her bio! Jaune, you idiot!_

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry! A-Are you actually mute?"

Neo's look got even flatter. _'Really?'_ he could almost hear her drawl at him. Jaune felt like crap.

"I'm super sorry, Neo! I-I guess I forgot that!" Really, he hadn't paid a ton of attention to it, because he'd been overwhelmed with actually having found a match and then trying not to screw things up in their texts. "No wonder you've been so quiet! Argh, I feel like such an idiot!"

Neo nodded along to that sentiment, and Jaune could not even blame her. Had she just been waiting for him to address her ever since they left the dorm? He'd made her just tag along without being able to say anything the whole way. He couldn't think of a worse start to a date.

"I guess I'll have to make it up to you over dinner! We'll order anything you want." Jaune let out, forcing himself to try to be positive about things to turn this around. He couldn't afford dwelling on just one mistake. Still, he didn't feel too confident. "Does that sound okay?"

Neo seemed to accept readily that and nodded, and some tension left Jaune's shoulders. She wasn't _too_ offended, then, if she was still going on the date.

She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side, giving him a very expectant look.

"Oh! You want to know where we're going, don't you?"

Neo gave him a very slow, deliberate nod. It really felt like things were not going his way already, which was bad. All Jaune could do now was give this his absolute best effort.

Jaune motioned for Neo to follow him. Their restaurant was in downtown Vale, so not far away. "I got totally lucky with this place called The Silver Steer having spots available since it's so early on a weeknight. It's a three-star steakhouse, but all the reviews say it's four-star food in a laidback setting. It sounds amazing!"

To his relief, Neo's eyes had widened at the word "steak." _Finally_, he was catching a break, because she looked both surprised and excited at the restaurant choice. Jaune was _very_ limited on funds at the moment, but he wasn't going to skimp out on a first date, and it looked like that decision had saved the night.

He continued to lead Neo along the streets of Vale, hyperaware of how close to his side she was walking. Was he expected to offer her his arm while they walked? That was a thing couples did, and Jaune didn't think there were there yet, were they? If he offered, their height difference might make it weird, too.

Still, it felt just a weird walking together but separately.

* * *

For all of the pain this dinner was going to inflict on Jaune's wallet, it was all worth it to see Neo's eyes go wide as they followed a hostess to their seat. Sure, this place was a steakhouse, but it was obviously an expensive steakhouse. A _very_ expensive steakhouse.

Jaune was very grateful that Pyrrha had dressed him the way she had, because he felt the need to button up a few of his buttons to fit the environment. His original outfit would have been laughed out of here.

Neo seemed to be loving the place, if the way she took it all in was any indication. She was surprised and impressed, which filled Jaune with a sense of pride. He'd done well picking this place out.

He reminded himself of how worth it this was as he skimmed over the menu, and its prices. _Yeesh!_ Jaune wasn't much of a steak person, which put his meal in the cheaper section. Hopefully, that would offset the costs of the night.

"Good evening, I'll be your waiter tonight. My name is Laith, and if you need anything, feel free to flag me down or ask another member of our staff for me." Jaune nodded along absentmindedly as their waiter introduced himself. "What can I get you two to drink?"

He asked Neo first, and Jaune was about to speak up and inform him that Neo couldn't speak, but she starting doing some simple hand gestures to the man that Jaune recognized as… well, some sort of sign language. The server didn't seem to understand what it meant, but caught on and leaned over to let Neo point at her menu.

"Ah, our wine of the week. Our sommelier curates our selection to pair with our best meats," the waiter explained with a smile. Jaune balked a little. He'd seen that option on the menu and it cost as much as an appetizer, which cost as much as a full meal at the restaurants Jaune normally went to. "An excellent choice. I do need to see your ID, though, ma'am."

Jaune went a little tense, but Neo pulled an ID out of some pocket in her outfit he hadn't seen before. The man looked it over before handing it back to her, satisfied.

"And for you, sir?"

"Oh, uh, I'll just have a grape soda," Jaune answered meekly, panicking a little. He should have just ordered water to stay cheap, but was distracted and just blurted out what sounded good.

"Excellent," the waiter announced, writing down their order. "Could I start the two of you off with an appetizer?"

_Why, so that I'm not hungry enough to eat my super expensive main course?_ Jaune was about to politely decline, but Neo's eager nodding beat him to the punch. Before he knew it, the waiter was leaned over to take Neo's appetizer order.

"One smoked sausage and cheese sampler platter, coming right up!" their waiter announced before leaving the two of them alone. Jaune recognized that as the most expensive of all the appetizers, too!

_You know what, it's fine. _Jaune was going to make the most of this night no matter the cost, and if it made Neo happy, then it was worth it. He wasn't going to let it bother him, and he _did_ say they would order whatever she wanted to make up for him being so stupid earlier.

Jaune felt he needed to _show_ it didn't bother him, so he immediately asked her about anything else. "I didn't know you were old enough to order wine." The drinking age for Vale was twenty, so that wasn't a crazy age gap, but it was still interesting.

Neo shook her head no.

"You're not?"

She smirked at him, before pulling her ID out of thin air to show it to him. Neo tapped a finger on her picture there, and suddenly the picture changed to one of Jaune. She handed it to him to inspect.

"That's-" Jaune was about to say illegal, but remembered that time he forged transcripts to get into Beacon. "-really cool! Is that a Semblance?"

He handed the ID back to Neo, who nodded yes. She snapped the ID in half between two fingers and it shattered into tiny glass pieces that vanished as they fell to the ground.

"Okay, that's really cool. You can just do that on command?"

Neo gave him a satisfied, preening smile, that he took for yes.

"How does it work?" Jaune asked, caught up in figuring out what was a pretty useful Semblance. It was certainly better than his lack of a Semblance.

Neo gave Jaune another flat look.

"Oh, right. No voice. My bad," Jaune mumbled, though not as embarrassed this time. Neo wasn't giving him as much of a disappointed look as earlier. "Is there anything we can do about that? Like, I get that you can't talk, but I still want you to get to, uh, participate in the conversation. Does that make sense?"

Neo shrugged.

"Like, I don't mind doing all the talking for both of us, if that's what you'd prefer. But I'd still hate to feel like I'm speaking for you. Is there any system you've found that lets you communicate with people like me who can't sign?" Jaune asked, trying to be eager yet sensitive to her disability. "Even if it makes it harder for me, I don't mind it if it lets you get to speak too."

He honestly meant that, too, but got another funny look from Neo. She was judging him again, but he really did just want to make things easier for her. It looked like she finally realized he was sincere, but Jaune was too nervous to really know for sure.

After a few moments, Neo pulled out her scroll and waved it in the air. She made a show of pulling up their text messages, before setting the scroll on the table in front of her.

Eagerly, Jaune pulled his own scroll out and mimicked her set-up, before typing out a message to her.

_Oh, I get it_, Jaune sent her. _Like this?_

Neo read the text, before cutting her eyes up at him. Her fingers typed a response.

_No, jackass. You talk out loud like normal. I'm the one that can't speak._

"O-Oh, right," Jaune fumbled. "Sorry. I guess that makes sense."

_It's fine. More than most guys would do._

"Really? I would think that most guys would do anything for a girl like you."

Neo rolled her eyes at that, but she didn't seem to dislike his complements like Weiss always did, so Jaune took that as a total win. She might have even smiled at it.

_Yeah, sure, but most guys aren't looking for me to use my mouth for talking…_

They aren't looking for-?

"I-I wouldn't do something like that!" Jaune defended himself, even though Neo hadn't accused _him_, technically. It still embarrassed him once he realized what she was implying. "I-I just wanted you to feel comfortable, nothing else!. It's not like I was looking at your h-hips earlier... or… uh..."

Jaune knew better than to keep digging that grave. Neo was giving him a knowing look and he could feel his face heating up. Crap. He'd been caught.

_Like what you saw? ;)_

Oh gods, how was he supposed to respond to _that?_ "I… uh… _oh look,_ our waiter is back!"

Neo seemed super disappointed by the distraction, but Jaune was sending thanks in any and all directions. Their waiter set their drinks down in front of them, and as soon as Jaune could, he was drinking his soda to hide his embarrassment.

"If you're ready, I can take your order. For you, sir?"

Yes! Another distraction!

"I'll have this combo," Jaune announced, tilting the menu so the waiter could see what Jaune pointed to, but not Neo. That was intentional, because he was kinda embarrassed to be ordering-

"The chicken nugget meal," the waiter announced neutrally, killing Jaune's hopes of keeping this subtle. "Would you like a salad with that?"

Neo giggled at him as she typed on her scroll. So much for this guy earning a big tip. Would it have killed him to help Jaune out there?

"No," Jaune grumbled, a little embarrassed by Neo's giggling. "Just fries."

The waiter wrote down the order. "And for you, ma'am?"

"Actually, I have her order," Jaune announced, as Neo's text came through just in time. He figured it would be a lot easier than pointing for every part of her order.

Jaune paled. Neo must have sent it at the last second because she was still adding things to it. He looked up at her to confirm what he was reading, because it looked like a funeral for any and all lien Jaune owned.

She gave Jaune the sweetest smile he had ever seen, and he knew that he couldn't disappoint her now.

"She'll have... the prime ribeye, rare, extra bloody, with a rack of ribs instead of a side."

That one small sentence was incredibly daunting. Jaune had expected a date to cost some lien, but not _all_ of his lien.

Wearily, he looked back up at Neo to confirm that she wanted to order all of that. She nodded eagerly, and gave him a big smile for it.

Well, at least he had that going for him.

* * *

It was true what they said. The best things in life were free. Normally when people spoke of such things, they meant love; companionship; a beautiful sunset; other metaphorical BS.

To Neo, however, that saying was proven correct when their waiter appeared from the kitchen carrying a trio of plates on a large tray. Even from a distance Neo could see that two were substantially more appealing than the third.

Setting down the folding stand next to their table, the waiter set the tray down momentarily while he unloaded its cargo to the appropriate spots. For Jaune, a paltry, almost sad plate of chicken nuggets and fries were placed before him. A meal worthy for a teenager, she supposed. It made sense that the establishment likely had a kid's menu. A family going out to a fancy restaurant wasn't about to drop forty lien on a steak dinner for a child, after all.

When Neo saw her plates, however, her mouth began to salivate. One contained a chunk of meat which she couldn't bear to take her eyes off of. Surrounded by a pool of au jus, her prime rib was seared to perfection: a delicious dark brown on the outside, undoubtedly pink and juicy on the inside. The only thing capable of distracting her was the second plate sat next to it. In lieu of her side dish, a full rack of barbeque ribs was smothered in a dark brown-red sauce, and its spices sent tingling sensations up her nose as she took a whiff of the delicious smelling meat.

Dinner was served.

"Enjoy," the waiter nodded before collecting his tray and walking back to the kitchen.

Enjoy? All this free food thanks to her date? Gods yes, she would.

Taking hold of her fork in her left hand and knife in her right, Neo delicately wielded the silverware with as much precision and grace as she would Hush. And with just as much glee as stabbing some poor mook who dared get in her and Roman's way, she cut off a slice of her steak, dabbing it in the plate's juice before delicately placing it in her mouth.

An explosion of flavor erupted as she chewed on the rare, tender meat. Free or not wouldn't have mattered with food this good. It was orgasmic. Not even the kind of orgasm most people search for when they download a dating app, either. As she chewed and swallowed the delicious meat, she knew right then and there that she had made the right decision. Putting up with hero boy over here for a couple hours was well worth the taste of tonight's dinner.

"Whoa, your eyes!"

Neo was disturbed from her foodgasm, glancing up to see Jaune staring at her with wide-eyed wonder. She tilted her head to the side slightly and furrowed her brow to indicate confusion.

"Oh, um, they just changed color is all," he explained a little sheepishly, nodding towards her. "The pink one turned brown and the brown one turned pink. Do they do that often?"

_They'd changed on their own?_ Must have been a result of the food. Uncontrollable emotions sometimes did that to her eyes. An involuntary reaction to extreme stimuli. Apparently, her foodgasm was more literal than she realized.

Neo nodded in confirmation before cutting off another piece of her steak and popping it into her mouth. She was careful to try and control her reaction this time.

"Oh, wow. That's really cool. To have eyes that can do that. Different colored eyes in general, really. They look really nice."

The comment made her stop mid-motion as she was cutting off another piece of steak. Had she been able to speak, she would have been rendered speechless. It was a bold move, after all, to compliment her eyes so forwardly. How did girls usually respond to such a thing? Blush and giggle? Offer their thanks? None of that was exactly her style. Not that she had much experience at all in men complimenting her eyes, though.

She supposed she should be thankful that Jaune was actually looking at her eyes rather than below the neckline. He wasn't too innocent to do so, not after he awkwardly stumbled and mumbled his way through telling her about how much he hadn't been staring at her hips. At least he was attempting to control himself and act like a gentleman, which was also new to Neo. The kind of crowd she normally associated with - outside of Roman - wasn't exactly known for their gentlemanly qualities.

Neo nodded a gracious thank you in his direction. It should have been obvious enough without having to text him 'thank you'.

"Would it... would it be weird if I wanted to see it again?" he asked nervously.

The criminal frowned, resting her knife down on her plate before pointing up to her eyes questioningly.

Jaune nodded, a dopey smile on his face as he continued to stare hopefully into her eyes. "Yeah. It's just... really neat."

She rolled her eyes, probably not what he had been wanting with his request, but for all he knew that was just part of how her eyes worked.

Neo blinked, and when her eyes reopened, the pink and brown had once more switched spots. She did so again and again, each time slower and more deliberately, all the while watching the boy's reaction from across the table. He stared in what she could only describe as unabashed awe. All from something so simple as her eyes.

"Wow..." he gasped. "That's just... amazing. That's so cool."

She shrugged lightly. Sure, Neo knew that she was cool. She was a badass. However, it never hurt to hear someone else say it. It never hurt to have a fanboy dedicated to telling you just how great you were.

"Does it hurt?"

An odd question, and not one anyone had ever asked before. Neo shook her head no.

"Good, that's good. I wouldn't wanna ask you to keep doing it if it did."

A kind but pointless gesture. For Neo, it was as normal and painless as simply blinking.

"Sorry, I don't mean to keep you from your meal," he said, gesturing to her twin plates of meat. "Your eyes just caught me off-guard is all. I just... wanted to see them. Sorry for sounding so weird. There's just something about eyes, you know? They call them windows to the soul. You can learn a lot about people from their eyes."

Neo had never heard that before. Then again, she hadn't exactly had the most normal of upbringings, being a criminal raised on the streets and all. So eyes said something about a person? She wondered what hers said about herself. Or at the very least, what Jaune thought they said about her.

The same dopey grin played on the boy's lips as he looked at her. As she stared back into his own deep, ocean-blue eyes. Normally, Neo didn't make this much eye contact with people, and it had nothing to do with her height either. You simply didn't look at the eyes of your victims in order to admire them. Rather, you followed their eyes to anticipate their next move. To give yourself an upper hand in a fight.

There was a certain genuineness and innocence in Jaune's eyes as he continued to admire her own. Perhaps what the boy said was true. Looking into those blue orbs she could see that he was taking this date a lot more seriously than she was. He was treating it, and her, like the most important thing in the world.

Quite honestly, she could get used to that sort of treatment. All the money in the world couldn't buy someone who legitimately thought you were the greatest thing ever. Someone who wanted to pamper you like a princess. The klutz probably didn't even realize how romantic all his talk about eyes, particular her eyes, was. But she did. She knew those were the kinds of compliments that women lived for. Most women, at least.

Maybe he was worth keeping around for a little while, if only for that. And of course the free food.

She smiled back at him before picking her knife back up and getting back to her meal. It wouldn't do to let all this incredible food go to waste by getting cold. Knowing that Jaune was watching her eyes, she gave him a little wink just for fun.

He visibly blushed. _All too easy._

"S-so do you like it here in Vale so far?"

Luckily for Neo, she didn't need to speak to answer the question, so she could continue eating. She didn't even need to pick up her scroll to text an answer to Jaune. Maybe he was learning that yes/no questions were the best way to go.

She lifted a hand, holding it palm-down before gently tilting it back and forth to indicate a shaky, undecided feeling about the place. More specifically her situation.

"Yeah, I get that," he agreed. Did he _really_? Did he have obnoxious teammates he was forced to put up with for the good of a mission? "It's probably not easy to just up and come to a whole new kingdom like this. It doesn't even count as a vacation since you're still stuck in school."

He was right about that. This was anything but a vacation. It was work. The worst kind, being stuck with Fangirl, Gimpy, and an undecided offensive nickname for Cinder. Lady... Lady Loose Legs? It'd certainly fit her tryhard seductress gimmick, if Cinder actually seduced anyone ever...

Neo nodded to Jaune in agreement. He need not know how much she despised those who were all but blackmailing Roman and herself into their servitude. Even implying that there was conflict between herself and her false teammates would probably only make the boy pry in some misguided attempt to repair their relationship.

"But hey, if it helps, you've always got me to show you around. Or do anything I can to help, really," he added.

Another pointless gesture, but she nodded all the same. Neo knew the streets of Vale better than Jaune could ever hope to. However, perhaps she would take him up on his _oh_ so kind offer simply as an excuse to get out of Beacon more. Cinder, after all, appreciated the fact that she had been scouting potential enemies.

Who could be more of a potential enemy than Pyrrha Nikos' teammates? Other than Pyrrha herself, that was. Yes, Jaune would be a perfect and convenient excuse to get away and have some fun. As much fun as she could have on a date with the boy.

Which, in all honesty, wasn't _too_ bad so far. At least the food was good. He wasn't staring lecherously at her tits either, so that was a plus. That was only because he was too distracted with her eyes and her hips, but hey, Neo could live with that.

Minutes passed by as Jaune continued to ask simple questions, and Neo continued to devour her meal. When it came time for the ribs she paused for just a moment, before taking up her silverware again and beginning to cut the meat off the bone. While she normally wouldn't have cared about getting messy, she was in public. For all of her savage combat prowess, she wasn't a savage at the dinner table. Sticky fingers simply wouldn't do in a restaurant as nice as this one.

"I'm kinda impressed," Jaune noted as she continued eating. "I never thought someone your size could have quite an appetite."

Neo glanced up from her ribs to see that Jaune's plate was empty. Meanwhile, she still had a good portion of her second entree still on the plate. Why did her stomach suddenly feel so tight?

Jaune laughed, and at that moment, Neo realized she must have made some sort of face. A small frown crossed her lips, earning a panicked look from the boy across from her.

"Sorry, sorry," he quickly followed up, the amusement in his voice betraying his apology. "That wasn't supposed to be an insult or anything. I think it's awesome. Don't stop on my account."

A little too late for that. Neo was suddenly self-conscious of the fact that she was eating so much. Initially, she had simply wanted to take advantage of her free meal and eat her fill. However, even the idea of her somehow being unladylike as a result of her pigging on out steak and ribs filled her with doubt. Her nose scrunched up, and with her knife and fork, she cut the remaining slab of ribs in half before depositing one of the chunks on her other empty plate. She shoved it across the table in front of Jaune.

"No, really, I didn't mean anything bad," he protested, the panic in his eyes filtering into his voice as he looked down at the offered food and then back up at her. "I don't wanna eat your food."

Neo pointed her sharp steak knife at the plate before shifting its tip up to Jaune. The message was loud and clear, and for once her intent wasn't to threaten a person's life with a razor-sharp blade.

"Neo, I can't-"

She nodded forcefully this time, making a stabbing motion with her knife at the boy's chest. Hopefully, he wouldn't protest again.

"Well, I mean, if you insist..."

She did insist. The dumbass would probably still be hungry after dinner too, with his kiddie meal of chicken nuggets and fries. The least she could do was offer him some of her food. After all, she had to save room for dessert.

Oh, and he bought it anyway, so… he did probably deserve _some_ of it.

Jaune smiled, taking up his own fork and knife before mimicking her actions and cutting into the ribs. At least he had some self-awareness and class as well. Fingers and cheeks covered in barbeque sauce would not have been appealing on a date. He was all in, and he was doing his best to make a good impression on her.

"It's really good," he said after he swallowed. Another good demonstration of manners. Neo appreciated that. "Thank you, Neo."

She nodded graciously as she too took another bite. _Wasn't this just so romantic?_ she thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes since Jaune was likely to be staring into them. Sharing her meal like in that one animated children's movie about dogs. Jaune must have been over the moon right now. At least he had the courtesy to thank her. Again, it wasn't something she was used to in her line of work.

Neo noted how he was eating at a quicker pace than her. He must still have been really hungry, but didn't speak up about it. She wondered why a boy of his size would only order such a small meal of chicken nuggets. Especially when he seemed to have no problem splurging lien for her massive order...

It hit Neo. It was _because_ she had ordered so much that he had to get a small, children's meal.

Pink and brown eyes glanced up at the boy hungrily devouring the last of his ribs. Had she not offered them to him he would have gone back to Beacon hungry _and _broke. And he wouldn't have said a word of complaint to her. He would have simply complimented her eyes more.

Idiot. Such an idiot. He would let her walk all over him and take advantage of his kindness and charity. He probably didn't think she was aware of the situation. Now that she was, however...

She felt a twinge of guilt. He was just a stupid boy taking a girl out on a date to a restaurant he had no business paying for. A date he was taking seriously and she wasn't. Criminal or not, she still had a heart. A heart that had a soft spot for big, dumb animals. Like a big golden retriever who would do anything to please his master.

Jaune was a big, dumb golden retriever with big, dumb blue eyes. One who only wanted Neo to be happy.

When he finished, Jaune rested his utensils on his place next to a pile of stripped bones. A satisfied groan echoed in his throat as he stretched out his arms a little bit over his head. "Man, those were great, Neo. Thanks again. Really delicious ribs."

He was thanking her for giving him food which he was paying for. This guy was something else.

As if he was a scavenger bird sensing its prey near-death, the waiter reappeared the moment the two had finished their meals. Neo had felt him hovering in the background for a bit now, mostly because she was used to keeping an eye out for trouble. "Would you two like dessert?"

Like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, Jaune froze. Neo knew he wanted to say no, but she also knew that he wouldn't. He wouldn't cheap out on this first date with her. Saying no to dessert would make him come off as cheap.

"Nothing for me," he said unsurprisingly. And again, not at all to her surprise, he selflessly deferred the question to her. "Would you like anything, Neo?"

Honestly, she would. There was a little ice cream dish on the menu which she wanted to try. But realizing that he was probably low on lien, could she really take advantage of that kindness?

"Really, anything you'd like," he offered, that warm smile flashing on his lips again. He was offering. Could she really feel guilty if he was offering?

The answer to both questions was yes. Maybe she'd have to make it up to him on a second date. After tonight, she was pretty sure there would be a second date. If nothing else, as a way to escape boredom. He wasn't half-bad company, either.

Neo held up the dessert menu and pointed to something so that the waiter could see. The man nodded understandingly, and confirmed the choice out loud. "The classic turtle sundae, miss?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Very good. I'll be back with your dessert shortly."

Neo nodded again graciously, handing the menu back to the man.

A look back at Jaune showed him smiling again. It seemed that, no matter how much she drained his funds, he was still happy. Simply happy to share her company. _And who wouldn't be?_ Neo was a ten out of ten. A catch. All the allure of a model condensed into a fun-sized package. A woman most guys could only dream of, and Jaune was getting to spend an evening with her. In all honesty, that should make them even, right?

It didn't take long at all for the waiter to return with her sundae. Cased in an ornate glass bowl, a pair of vanilla scoops were drizzled with warm fudge, strawberry syrup, and caramel, while a generous mountain of whipped cream rested each of the mounds. With a literal cherry on top, the sweet treat made Neo's mouth water all over again as she picked up her spoon and scooped out a spoonful.

The taste sensation may have been different, but her body shuddered with delight all over again as the sweet flavors swirled in her mouth. Neo _lived_ for good ice cream like this. Her eyes closed this time, aware of the fact that delicious food could cause them to shift in color. She didn't need Jaune making a huge fuss about such a mundane part of who she was, after all. Not that she particularly minded when he did...

A soft gasp earned her attention, and her gaze as she found Jaune staring at her once more in amazement.

"Whoa..." he whispered, a sweet smile working its way on his face. "You look like ice cream..."

Neo's mouth drooped open. This guy... was he serious? Her name was _Neo_ for crying out loud.

Only then did Neo feel something on her cheek, and taking a napkin she wiped it to reveal that an errant blob of whipped cream had stuck there. So that had been it? That's what had made it click with him? It hadn't been the brown and pink hair. Or the white to tie it all together. Or the eyes he had gazed into so much. The presence of whipped cream was what had made him realize she looked like ice cream?

She facepalmed. Jaune was so dumb. So innocent. So naive.

_Oh _so perfect for her to have no-consequences fun with, she began to realize.

Neo nodded happily at the boy's realization.

"Sorry, it just now hit me," he explained. "Unless you're not going for the whole ice cream look? But it explains why you ordered the sundae too..."

Did he realize that enjoying ice cream wasn't exclusive to her? That plenty of non-ice cream looking people liked it too?

Whatever. She smiled back at him, nodding again as she took another bite of her dessert.

"I like that I know that," he admitted bashfully. "I like getting to know things about you period, and seeing something like this is so important when you can't exactly tell me a whole lot about yourself. I guess I just wanna try to be really observant, you know?"

How touching. For any normal girl, such sentiment would have been as sweet as her sundae. For Neo, however...

It made the boy just a little more tolerable. He wasn't so bad, and he did buy her what she wanted, even when it cut into his own meal.

Neo noticed that he was watching her with an amused smile, and that just wouldn't do. As she took another bite of her dessert, she realized why it was awkward. She was eating and he wasn't. Of course he was going to watch her.

Neo took her spoon out of her mouth and shoveled more ice cream onto it, then held it out to Jaune expectantly.

His eyes went wide. "Oh, n-no, that's okay, Neo. I'm full."

_No you're not, idiot_. She'd seen him devour those ribs. She nudged the spoon towards him again.

"I mean, if you insist…" Jaune let out sheepishly. He tried to pick up the other spoon delivered with the dessert, which annoyed Neo. She was offering him _her_ scoop. That was a gesture that Neo didn't mean lightly. He was _going_ to accept it.

Jaune's face started to turn red. "I-I mean…"

Neo realized that the bashful boy was just shy about eating from _her_ spoon. She would have rolled her eyes, but again she knew he'd been looking into them. Instead, she gave him a flat, playful look and a head tilt, as if to ask _really?_

"Okay, okay," he let out nervously, giving in and leaning forward over the table. Neo found it adorable that he was so shy about something as simple as sharing a spoon. She watched his expression with amusement as he bit down on the spoon she held out for him.

"Wow, that's really good," Jaune let out, his cheeks still red. Neo smirked. So he was that easy to embarrass, huh? That gave Neo all sorts of ideas. Most of them would have to be earned, sadly, but they still made her smirk widen a little.

With her offer accepted, Neo pushed the bowl a little closer to the center and let Jaune grab his own spoon. Of course, the bowl stayed closer to her. But he was still allowed to have some.

In time, they had finished her dessert. The dinner was paid for. The pair left the restaurant and began to make their way back to the airship terminal, which would take them back to Beacon.

* * *

All in all, it hadn't been a bad date. Not bad at all. Great food. Decent company. And not a single attempt to get in her pants. Better than most of her few dating attempts in the past, even if there had been that little guilt trip when she realized why Jaune wasn't eating much.

Back on Beacon's campus now, she noticed how he was following her back to the transfer student dorms. Or perhaps escorting her, from a more innocent perspective. She decided to go with that one. Jaune had been nothing but a gentleman the whole evening, and she would give him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't looking to come inside and continue their date into the late night. Honestly, she wondered if he even realized it could be interpreted that way.

Standing in front of room 302, Neo turned to face her date. She had to look upward to see the big guy, and saw that he was smiling back down at her.

"I had a great time tonight, Neo," he said genuinely.

She nodded back to him. Agreement with no words. She really did have a good time, too. Good food, escape from her team, and a little bit of entertainment that she genuinely enjoyed.

"Would you like to... maybe go out again? Not right away or anything. But I'd love to see you again."

Neo tilted her head and brought a finger up to rub her chin as if she had to think about it. The action made Jaune's face pale, and Neo smiled in response. He was fun to make squirm. A dumb, innocent boy who she could play with. Who she found herself enjoying playing with.

In the end, she nodded again before dragging it out too much. She would happily go out on another date with him again if it meant more free food. Just… maybe she wouldn't _completely_ bankrupt him this time.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "I'll message you tomorrow. Maybe we could also hang out on campus, if you wanna."

She gave him an affirmative thumbs up. Yes. Anything to escape the doldrums of her dorm room. Even spending time on campus with someone she didn't _hate_ would be better than her normal student life.

"Good. Great," he said again, awkwardly. "I'll, um, see you tomorrow in class maybe? To be honest I don't remember seeing you in any before so I don't know if we share any. But then again back then I wasn't looking for you either..."

They did in fact share classes. She'd see him then. She'd be seeing a lot more of Jaune in the future. Neo idly wondered how both of their teams would react to their... situation together. Quite frankly, she didn't give a damn what her team said, but she didn't want Jaune's team getting upset with him. They ought to realize that it was natural for Jaune to want to spend time with someone as great as Neo.

Neo raised her fists and pumped them back and forth to indicate punching. It took Jaune a moment, but he realized what she was getting at. "Oh! Professor Goodwitch's class?"

She nodded a confirmation. He was getting used to her pantomiming. That was nice, at least. He was putting forth effort for her, as he should.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then." Jaune gave her a smile that was a little awkward, but genuine. She almost wanted to mirror it. "I don't wanna keep you up in the hall or anything so... uh, good night, Neo."

He didn't even go for a goodnight kiss…? Jaune simply waved to her before smiling and turning around. No expectation to come inside. Not even for a kiss. Just how innocent _was _this boy?

_Fine._ Neo decided to make this poor boy's night, but only because he really didn't expect anything. Before Jaune walked off, Neo turned her head to the side expectantly, angling her neck to expose her cheek. As silly as it was, she was going to let Jaune kiss her on the cheek just so he would bend down far enough for her to beat him to the punch.

One problem. The idiot didn't catch on. Or maybe he did, because he didn't walk off yet, but he stood there a little awkwardly. The innocent boy probably thought he knew what she was doing and was hesitating. How annoying.

Neo was not one to be denied. He'd accepted her ribs, he'd accepted her ice cream, and he was _going_ to accept a kiss. She rolled her eyes and she realized she was going to have to do this herself. Now, how to get way up there?

She could kneecap him. That always brought men down to her level. Not something she wanted to inflict on Jaune, though. Plan B it is, then.

Neo hooked her left hand on Jaune's right shoulder. Despite his lanky frame, there was _some_ mass there, which was good because it made for a nice grip. Neo lifted and carefully planted her right foot on Jaune's left thigh, just above his kneecap. Thanks to her natural grace and very light frame, Jaune didn't really buckle under the weight as Neo hoisted herself up.

He was shocked as hell when Neo used her purchase to lean up and give him a quick peck on the cheek. By the time Neo's feet hit the ground again, Jaune's face was red. The boy was literally speechless, and that really stroked Neo's ego.

Neo gave him a small wave and he mirrored the motion, still too surprised to say anything. She caught herself smiling as she watched him walk back down the hallway before disappearing out of sight.

_Heh_. She'd used him as a stepping stool.

* * *

**I gotta say, it's pretty fun writing the perspective of a character who can't speak. Having to rely on her own internal monologues and body language is different, and I hope to improve at it as the story goes on.**

**While I'm here I have an opportunity to shill my stuff! So if you've ever wondered what a Lancaster story with CSLucaris' Rude Ruby would be like, check out my new fic: _Through the Drinking Glass: Isekai wa Rudeby to Tomo ni_. With a name like that how can you refuse?**

**As always, thanks for reading.**

**\- Mallobaude**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Behind the scenes of writing this is a very strange yet entertaining experience. Mallo and I have taken to several different obscure methods to annoy the other into writing. We've adopted the _Imyoshi_ method of communicating through a single word.**

**For instance, he'll send me a Discord message saying: "Write."  
I'll send him an Amity Arena DM saying: "Write." **

**Things will... escalate from there.**

**We'll go several days without writing because we each get so caught up in sending these messages that we forget whose turn it is to write.**

**Oh, and Mallo.**

**_Write._**

**-_Ikedawg43_**

* * *

For once, Jaune was wide awake and fully alert during Professor Port's lecture. That had nothing to do with the content of the lecture, though, as it had just begun five minutes ago and half the class was asleep already. No, Jaune was fully awake because sat across the lecture hall from him was Team… Team…

What did she say their team name was, again? Well, she hadn't _said_ anything, but it was Neo, okay? Neo was sitting on the other side with who he assumed were her teammates. They hadn't really discussed Neo's team all that much during dinner, and Jaune wasn't certain that Neo had ever mentioned what their team name was.

Hey, that was a pretty good ice breaker for right now. He hadn't texted her since last night, since he didn't want to look too desperate, and Jaune had been looking for a good excuse. This was as good of one as any.

_Hey_.

Okay, not his best opening line, but he wanted to at least get her attention first. She looked just as bored as any other student in Port's class.

_Ugh, is he always this boring?_

Jaune smiled to himself at Neo's response. No one was sure why the transfer students that were just here for the Vytal Festival had to go through classes. The popular rumor was that it was to dull their minds so that they reacted slower during the tournament. Jaune honestly wasn't sure if he believed that or not.

_Yeah, everyone just sleeps through this class and he never calls anyone out,_ Jaune responded, letting her know that she was definitely not alone in how bored she was. Well, right now Jaune wasn't bored, but that's because he was talking to her! _This is basically Nap 101: Intro to Sleeping In_.

Jaune chuckled at his own joke there for a moment, and nervously looked up to watch as Neo picked up her scroll. She read it, shrugged, and set the scroll back down for a moment, and panic shot through Jaune. He'd basically just told her she could take a nap when he'd been trying to get a conversation going! Neo propped her head up with her hand, resting one elbow on the table, and looked for all the world like she might be following his advice.

He had to text her something fast to keep her attention, and fast.

_Hey, what's your team's name?_ He typed out just as quickly as he could. _I don't think I asked you about them last night._

Relief washed through Jaune when her head moved down to read her scroll. At least she wasn't asleep. He felt even better when she reached down for her scroll with her free hand, and started to-

"Whatcha smiling about, _Jauney?_" Nora's voice sounded from maybe an inch directly behind his ear. Jaune jumped out of his seat, banging his knee on the underside of the table and sending a shooting pain through his leg as he did so.

"Good heavens, did someone fire a cannon?!" Port reared around at the loud thud that Jaune's knee made, before his eyes settled on the source of the noise. "Mr. Arc, is something wrong?"

"N-No, professor," Jaune squeaked out, fully aware that Nora - and everyone else still awake - was giggling at him. "It was an accident."

Port watched him suspiciously for a half-second, before harrumphing and returning to his lecture by drawing some weird stick-figures of Grimm on the board.

"_Nora,_" Jaune whispered angrily, turning to find the girl to be the only member of their team not asleep. "What do you want?"

She leered at him. "_Someone_ had a date last night, and that same _someone_ hasn't spilled the beans."

"Nora, I'm not gonna tell you what happened on my date," Jaune said as firmly as he could, which was not very firmly at all. Even if the date had gone well and he thought it went fantastic, he would still be a little embarrassed to discuss it. Shoot, just thinking about dropping Neo off at her dorm still made him blush.

A text came through on his scroll, and he couldn't help but whip his attention away from Nora to read what it said.

_You okay over there? lol_

Oh, great, Neo had seen that too. That was pretty embarrassing. At least she reached out and asked him how he was doing. That was a good sign, right? Yeah, he could build on that. Maybe it would get a conversation going.

Jaune looked back down at the desk to grab his scroll, only to find it gone. It only took Jaune one guess where it went.

"Nora, I need that!" Jaune hissed in a high pitch.

"Texting Neo, huh?" Nora asked, reading over the notification in one hand while holding Jaune back by his face with her other one. "You two must be getting pretty serious," she obviously teased.

Despite Nora's smaller frame, she was able to keep the scroll just out of his reach. For a moment, Jaune considered hitting Nora to make her drop the scroll, but ruled the idea out. It was never a good idea to hit a girl. Even less so to do so at a school full of Huntress students. Even _even _less so to do so to Nora, unless you wanted to be broken in half.

"It went great! Awesome! We had dinner, now give me back my scroll!"

"Fine," Nora relented, mostly because they were starting to make a little too much noise for comfort. "You still owe me some details."

As soon as the scroll was back in Jaune's hands, he was typing out a response to Neo. He'd already waited too long to reply thanks to Nora. _Ha ha yeah, thanks for asking. _

He looked up to find Nora grinning at him. "So?"

"I don't kiss and tell, Nora," he stated quietly, praying that she'd just leave it at that.

"Oh, so you already kissed her, did you?"

"W-What? No, Nora, don't… how did you know that?"

Nora stared at him dumbly. "_You did?_"

"I-I mean…" Jaune fumbled his words, looking for _any_ out he could possibly think of. "Technically, she kissed me?"

Nora slugged him in the arm and gave him an excited grin. "You dog! Pulling a fast one, huh? _I'm so proud of you._"

Jaune's face started to heat up. "Nora, keep your voice down, she could hear-"

He cut himself off, but it was too late.

"_She's in here?_" Nora asked, her head immediately whipping around the room in search of Neo. Fortunately, she didn't know what she looked like. "What's she look like? Is she tall? No, wait, she can't be if you met her on that app. How short are we talking?"

Jaune's mind flashed back to Neo literally having to climb up him to give him a goodnight kiss, and his cheeks started burning. "P-Pretty short."

"Where is she, Jaune?"

He sighed. There was no way he was getting Nora to drop this. "Far side of the room, third row. Next to the bright green hair."

"The black-haired chick from Haven?" Nora asked, slightly confused. "She doesn't look nearly short enough to - oh wait, the other side." Jaune was saved from having to correct Nora as she figured it out, which was good. Nora had no clue how embarrassed she was making Jaune right now. "Okay, Jaune, _I see you_. Nice job! I'd expect nothing less from _my _team leader."

"Thank you, Nora," Jaune drawled sarcastically. "Your confidence in me is touching."

"So when's your next date?" Nora asked, turning back to Jaune with some strange, newfound respect in her eyes.

"That's the thing. I'm trying to figure out how to ask her if she wants to go on a second one, but…"

"But?"

"But my annoying teammate keeps interrupting me," Jaune finished, giving Nora a slight glare that didn't affect her in the tiniest way.

"Well, what has she said so far?" Nora asked, trying to grab his scroll again. Jaune snatched it away before she got near it this time. He was about to ask her why she thought that she was a part of this, but she could see his objection coming from miles away. "Oh come on, you could use a woman's help here."

"Well as soon as you find one…"

"_Har. Har_," Nora drawled, giving him a very dangerous look that convinced him it was just better to go along with it. "Just give me the scroll. I'll give it back."

With a sigh, he handed it over. Nora picked it up and never even unlocked it, instead just staring at the lock screen. "Uh…?"

"What?" Jaune asked, sensing something was wrong. He took the scroll back and found that Neo had sent a text just as soon as Nora had taken the scroll.

_Semen._

"On second thought, whatever you two are texting about… I think you can handle it," Nora stated awkwardly, giving Jaune a look. She was blushing a little, which only make Jaune even more embarrassed. "You're a big boy, after all."

"What? No, Nora, it wasn't like that! I don't know why she sent that!" Jaune defended frantically, before staring down at the screen to figure out just what exactly was going on.

Another text came through while he was staring at that first one. _Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Neo. Team CMEN. Get it?_

Jaune stared blankly at the screen for a few moments, before looking up to find Neo. Even from across the room, he could see she was giggling at him. It didn't take much to realize she'd been watching him and Nora fight over his scroll, and had probably sent that on purpose.

_That's not funny._

She texted back immediately. _Isn't it, tho? _

With a sigh, Jaune gave in. _Okay, it's a little funny._

He would never hear the end of this from Nora, but for the time being, Neo had bought him a chance to talk to her without Nora looking over his shoulder. Plus, they had a conversation rolling. Jaune felt any embarrassment melt away as he realized that last bit.

_Kinda like you_, Jaune added on, deciding to get a little revenge on Neo anyways. _A *little* funny._

Jaune looked up to watch Neo react to his text. He knew she had finished reading it because her head whipped up at him and she gave him a flat glare he could feel from across the lecture hall. He couldn't help but grin dumbly at her.

_I *will* stab you,_ she texted back, copying his use of asterisks for emphasis.

_Well, I was hoping to ask you out on a second date,_ Jaune sent her in one text, before following it up immediately afterward. _But if you're gonna stab me…_

He felt pretty good about those texts, until Neo hadn't immediately responded. Upon second glance, he felt like an idiot for threatening to _not_ take her on a second date. If she called his bluff, he was going to be kicking himself for being so stupid.

His scroll buzzed, and his stomach flopped. Dare he read the text? She'd take a while to send it.

_Oh?_

Oh gods, what did he say now? She was openly challenging him to make a good move here, and he was fresh out of those. Jaune kinda wished Nora was still offering to help him out. If nothing else, she had no shortage of crazy and confidence. He could use a little of both.

Another text buzzed.

_If it's anything like that first one, I could be convinced to hold off on the stabbing._

One half of Jaune leapt for joy, and the other sank in despair. She'd enjoyed the date! That was awesome, and she clearly was down for another one. Getting to date two was the hardest part outside of, well, getting to date one.

The downside was that Jaune had spent almost all of his lien on that date. It was totally worth it and he'd do it again in a heartbeat, but he didn't exactly have a cash flow right now. Maybe he could get his parents to float him some money or he could find some part-time thing to do, but either way, he couldn't afford another date like that first one.

_About that…_ he sent her, not wanting to take too long to respond but not knowing how to explain his situation to her. Jaune didn't want Neo to feel like he was blaming her, after all. He meant it when he said he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

_Are you going to try to tell me you didn't enjoy last night?_

_No! Last night was amazing!_ Jaune texted frantically to keep Neo from getting the wrong idea. _I had a great time, and really enjoyed getting to know you. You're awesome, Neo._

_Damn right._

Jaune smiled a bit at Neo's confidence. He was slowing getting to see more of her personality, and he definitely liked it.

_The problem is that the restaurant was great, but also like super expensive,_ Jaune typed out, staring over the words for a bit before biting the bullet and sending it. There wasn't any way around this, not that he could see. _I don't think I can afford to take us somewhere as nice as that again so soon._

Jaune typed his words carefully, again trying not to make Neo think this was her fault. He was more than happy to pay for their date, but he would just have to come up with a way to make some lien before he could get them to a place like that again.

_Unless you have any other date ideas?_ he added on after pausing long enough for Neo to have read the first two texts. Jaune didn't want to have to suggest cheaper date ideas, so he was really hoping that Neo would be willing to suggest something a little bit easier on his wallet.

"Ooh, don't cheap out now, you're so close!" Nora's voice sounded from behind his ear again. Jaune was even tenser than he had been the first time and this all ended the same way, with him coming out of his chair and banging his knee against the underside of the table again.

"Nora!" Jaune blurted out, not realizing that his voice carried across the silence that banging his knee had caused.

"Mr. Arc, I am trying to teach a lesson that may very well save every student here's life someday, and you…" Professor Port trailed off, squinting at Jaune as he looked him over. Eyes hidden by bushy eyebrows somehow spotted the scroll still in Jaune's hand. "...have been paying more attention to that scroll than to my lecture! Tell me, what is it on there that's more interesting that survival tips against the Grimm?"

"Just a… scroll game," Jaune answered sheepishly, remembering Nora yelling at her scroll while playing a game the other day and using that as his excuse. "Yeah, just a scroll game."

"You expect me to believe that a cash-grabbing scroll game is more interesting than knowing how I took down three Beringels at the same time? _Pah!_" Port let out in a big puff of air, before giving Jaune a knowing look that made him even more awkward. "Let's try this again, shall we? What were you playing on your scroll during my lecture for?"

"I-It wasn't important," Jaune tried to deflect, painfully aware that the noise had started to wake people up, including his team and Team RWBY. Yang was sniggering at him from one row back. "I would hate to interrupt the lecture any more."

"Oh, you've already done so twice, my boy. I think we have time to figure out why you aren't paying attention, don't you?" Port asked, putting all the attention on Jaune. And of course, Nora, the person who got him into this mess, sat back and didn't say a word. The least she could do is knock him out or something.

"I-I was texting someone," Jaune mumbled awkwardly, his eyes shifting to Neo briefly. She was watching keenly, which was bad. What would she think if he called her out in front of the class? It was bad enough he was being embarrassed; she shouldn't have to be dragged into it too.

"Nonsense!" Port called out boisterously. "I doubt any of your compatriots could be more compelling than my lesson!"

"I was texting a girl, Professor," Jaune admitted sheepishly, already feeling his face heat up. He prayed to literally everything he could think of that the professor would take it easy on him and now ask who. "W-We went on a date last night and I was just, uh, trying to ask her out again."

Well, honesty is the best policy, right? He _sure_ hoped so.

Port stared him down for a few moments before Cardin's voice rung out from a few rows back.

"Trust me, Jauney boy, you're wasting your time. _You_ would be better off paying attention to the lecture!"

"Not so fast, Mr. Winchester!" Port let out loudly, shutting Cardin right up and coming to Jaune's defense. "You might learn a thing or two from Mr. Arc's example!"

"You're not… mad?" Jaune let out, with absolutely no clue what was going on. Cardin was pouting after getting called out and Port was on _his_ side now?

"My boy, throughout history, the Grimm have only ever been the secondary focus of all Huntsmen. Do you know what the primary focus has been?"

"...more Grimm?"

"_Huntresses_," Port said with a grin, earning a few chuckles across the classroom for the first time all semester. "I can't get mad at you for upholding our longest-running tradition of being love-sick fools! If anything, you're the closest here to being a real Huntsman now! Why, in my day, there were entire months where I never saw a single Grimm because I had been chasing more dangerous prey…"

"_You?_" Jaune let out in shock. He'd never have guessed that their, uh, _plump_ Grimm Studies professor had much of anything going on before Beacon. Honestly, he just assumed the man made all his tales up.

Port took it a different way, which was better for Jaune.

"All your fancy scrolls and texting isn't so different from what I used to do, actually," Port confirmed with a nod. "Why, I used to go through forests-worth of paper crafting letters to my admirers and colleagues each night! You see, I may have attracted their eyes with my cutting physique and billows of smoke from the Grimm I had slain, but what won me their hearts was the softer touch of my pen!"

"..._huh?_"

"Poetry, my lad, poetry," Port explained, as if that made things any easier to understand.

"_Pffft_, yeah right," Cardin's voice called out, having recovered from his initial shock. "What sort of poetry did _you_ write?"

"_Ahem_, well, that is not a topic that is conducive to an academic setting. You'll understand when you're older, young man," Port explained with an awkward cough. Cardin didn't dare say a word after that. "Let us just say that such letters were written with, _and inspired_, a delicate touch."

It took Jaune a couple of seconds to realize what that meant, but when he did, the urge to go crawl under a rock returned with a vengeance. He was never going to unhear that.

"Take a seat, Mr. Arc, and try to keep your efforts from interrupting the class."

"Yes sir!" Jaune squeaked out as fast as he could, before plopping down in his seat even faster.

Gods, that had been a disaster. Jaune rested his forehead on the desk and covered his face with his hands, with his scroll still clutched in his right hand. Nora patted his shoulder comfortingly.

The scroll buzzed in his hands, and after a few moments, Jaune's curiosity became too great to ignore it.

_If you try to write me smutty poems, our date is off._

Jaune checked over his shoulder to make sure that Nora wasn't reading his texts. She was, but he realized that he wasn't going to risk making a scene in front of Port. Whatever. What did it matter if she kept reading at this point? Neo clearly knew that it was going on.

_Got it,_ he replied. It wouldn't be hard to follow that rule. _Did you have anything in mind for our date?_

He made sure to include 'our date' again just to make sure she was agreeing. You couldn't be too certain, after all.

_Can you cook?_ her text came back, throwing him for a loop.

_Yeah, totally_, he sent back. You didn't grow up with seven sisters and not have things like that forced upon you. He wasn't an amazing cook or anything, but he could recreate some of his family's go-to homemade meals pretty well. Saphron had always told him he'd impress ladies by cooking for them. It turns out that Saph really did know how to impress ladies…

_I have an apartment in Vale. We can stop by a store on the way and grab some stuff for dinner pretty cheap tomorrow night. Sound good?_

Neo has an apartment in Vale as a transfer student? Huh. Jaune was betting there was a story behind that. Maybe he could use that as a good ice breaker during the date. He'd like to get her to talk more about herself anyways, so that sounded like a good way to start.

_Sounds awesome!_

_One condition,_ Neo responded, making Jaune freeze for a moment, at least until the second text came. _I want to stab that dude._

He was beginning to realize Neo used 'stab' the same way that Nora talked about breaking legs. It was adorable, though he also wasn't sure she wouldn't actually stab him if he said that to her. _Which dude?_

_Jackass who tried to humiliate you._

_Oh, Cardin?_ he responded, guessing it pretty quickly. Now that he thought about it, if Cardin was insulting Jaune, he was also kinda insulting Neo. It made sense that she'd be upset by that. Honestly, it bothered Jaune now that he thought about it. _Yeah, he's always like that._

_Not for long he's not._

Jaune laughed at that, doing his best to keep his voice down.

"I like her."

Nora's voice made Jaune bang his knee a third time.

"_Mr. Arc!_"

* * *

Control. How she craved control.

Being a criminal was, in a sense, a way to have control over an otherwise chaotic life. Neo controlled her own cash flow, not having to rely on someone else to determine her wages; she controlled where and who she worked for; she had no boss but herself. Even Roman was more like family, the father figure and mentor she'd desperately needed to set her on the path to freedom and success. If she wanted to, she could leave his service anytime. She just didn't want to.

Neo stood up from her seat as the bell rang, eager to escape Professor Port's class. After having not bothered to go to school herself in many years, being forced to attend Beacon Academy with its rigid structures and schedules was akin to torture for the young woman. Control over her life had been stolen from her, and that didn't even add in the situation with Cinder. She hated it. It felt unnatural.

Then, by pure chance, she had found _him._ An innocent idea born out of boredom and desire to find entertainment in a constricting lifestyle had allowed her to meet Jaune. A boy, and emphasis on the word _boy_, who could provide her something that no one else in this school could.

She had been able to reduce Jaune to a stammering mess the previous night with a simple, chaste peck on the cheek. Neo had enjoyed his reaction to that. She knew that little bit of feminine wiles could do wonders over the dumber sex, but all that with just a kiss? It was a bit intoxicating, to have that sort of influence on another person. It was one of the reasons she found herself not only not regretting going out with the boy the night before, but honestly looking forward to seeing him again for their next date.

He could give her back a semblance of control. He would do anything to please her, and while that was certainly fun, it meant something bigger. Jaune had no intention of controlling her. Ever since being thrust into her current position, Neo found that she desperately needed the security that came with being in control again.

He provided her that opportunity.

Her eyes watched Jaune as he shuffled from his own seat and was grabbed by the short ginger girl. Moved against his will as she and the rest of her teammates escorted him from the classroom, presumably to go do whatever it was that teenagers did with their free time. Pink lips curled into a smile when she saw the blond boy turn back to give her one last, lingering look before he was taken out of the room by his friends.

Neo was half tempted to follow after them just to see how both he and his team would react. She took a step forward before being stopped in her tracks by and all too familiar voice.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Spinning around, Neo wiped the smirk off her face as she turned to regard her own teammates.

It had been the yappy little purse dog who had spoken. Cinder's loyal pet, her mouthpiece when the older woman didn't have some stupid faux-seductive line to spew out like a sex worker. Red eyes glared at her accusingly, like she had just stolen something precious from the dark-skinned girl.

_Newsflash, Fangirl. You can keep Cinder. I don't want her._

Neo tilted her head, brow furrowing in confusion at the accusatory venom which Emerald spat.

"Don't play dumb," Fangirl yipped. "You disappeared last night. Don't you know we have important work to do?"

_Don't you know that Cinder doesn't love you?_ Neo wished she could say. If only there was a way to convey that with a simple gesture. Sadly a middle finger simply wouldn't be specific enough to truly get under Emerald's skin.

"Emerald," Cinder spoke calmly, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Emerald seemed to be calmed immediately. Little surprise there. All she probably wanted in life was to be touched by her hero. Just not in quite that way. "Perhaps you should allow our teammate to explain herself before you empty out all of your threats."

"And maybe not here," Mercury added. Neo had to hand it to Gimpy. Discussing your evil machinations in the middle of a huntsman academy classroom was probably not the wisest of calls, not that Neo would have cared.

Emerald saw the merit in both her teammate's suggestions and nodded. "I suppose."

Neo offered her the falsest of sweet smiles and nodded. The quartet then made their way out of the classroom and out of the building itself before they began speaking. Or at least in Neo's case, offering her silent explanation.

They walked four abreast, Emerald taking care to put herself between Neo and Cinder, while Mercury walked on Neo's right. They sought to intimidate and trap Neo with their very actions and positioning. The thief was Cinder's protégé, after all, and Mercury was a semi-trained assassin. It could hardly be an accident.

"So?" Emerald began once more when they were out of immediate earshot of anyone else, when they were able to speak freely in the wide-open courtyard of the academy. "Where were you last night?"

Neo couldn't very well tell her that she had gone out on a date in order to ditch them. In order to regain some small facet of control over her life that Neo blamed Cinder for taking. When it came down to it, that was the reason she truly hated her team. Neo had dealt with people far worse than them before. Criminals and scumbags on the lowest level of Vale's totem pole. Vile deviants who were involved in every seedy operation in the city's underworld. However, none of them once ever held a modicum of real power or control over Neo.

Not like these people did.

Cinder had stolen that power from her and was intentional about taking all she could get her hands on. Neo's fate was in the hands of another. She hated it. Being at the beck and call of another, being forced into places and situations not of her own choosing. All because they had something, some sort of power or blackmail that had _Roman_ scared. If they were able to do that, then they were truly dangerous foes. It still surprised Neo to see Roman allow himself to wear a leash, but she trusted that the man who taught Neo to be free hated this as much as she did. Maybe more. If even he would be content to just go with the flow and live in the ashes of their new world, then Neo didn't want to mess with Cinder either.

If she was being honest, it unnerved her a little. Roman never flinched, and he never let himself be put in an unfavorable position. But when Cinder came along and threatened them? He blinked. Roman didn't do that, and he certainly didn't work for people. Yet here they were. Neo's instincts screamed that this all was bad, which made her powerlessness ever worse. She'd do anything for even a temporary release.

Luckily for Neo, she _did_ have an out of sorts. Not to her and Roman's larger problem, but at least to the position Emerald was trying to put her in. Pulling out her scroll, Neo opened up the Stepping Stool app and accessed the conversation she and Jaune had. From there she was able to bring up his profile, and more importantly, his profile picture.

She held the scroll out with no other explanation, letting both Emerald and Cinder could see his picture. The former frowned, while the latter's expression was unreadable.

"Why do you have a picture of that moron on your scroll?" the green-haired girl asked.

_Better than having Cinder as your background,_ the mute quipped internally. Well, Neo didn't actually _know_ if it was true or not, but it wouldn't have surprised her if Emerald did have some picture she snuck of Cinder as her scroll wallpaper.

"Wait a minute," the voice to her right spoke up. Neo turned to see Mercury leaning over to get a glimpse at the scroll. "That's the guy who told Port he went out on a date last night, right?"

"Oh gods," Emerald blanched. "Does that mean..."

"You and him?" Mercury finished. The silver-haired boy laughed mockingly. "I mean, really? Out of all the guys here, you're interested in _him?_"

_Interested _was a strong word. But then again, a lie would be easier than the truth here. She couldn't exactly say that she'd much rather be out with that boy getting a free meal than spending her free time with the oh-so-endearing Team Semen.

"So you went out last night on a date rather than doing your job," Emerald sniped. "We have limited time here before certain events take place, and every moment is precious."

_There's nothing precious about our time together,_ Neo corrected her mentally.

"Don't you see? She _is_ doing her job."

Emerald's head whirled around to regard their leader, who had spoken. Neo, too, craned her body forward slightly to see around her accusatory teammate. Cinder continued to face forward, but Neo could see that there was a coy smirk on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Emerald asked.

Neo was pleased. Despite her distaste for the woman, Cinder was not stupid. Annoying, but not stupid. Quite cunning, in fact. Her emotional manipulation of Fangirl was bare bones proof of that.

"Did you see how that boy was acting in class?" Cinder asked. "It's obvious that the fool is wrapped around our dear Neo's little finger."

Neo nodded happily in agreement. If there was one benefit to this little spat between herself and Emerald, it would be seeing the other girl put in her place by the woman she adored the most.

"Jaune Arc is the partner of Pyrrha Nikos," the older woman continued. "A boy his age, or any man really, will do _anything_ for the woman he's fallen for. Isn't that right, Neo?"

Meeting the golden-eyed stare of Cinder, Neo nodded once more. Her own smile was plastered on her lips, and Neo was pleased that Cinder was buying her excuse hook, line, and sinker.

"So you mean..." Mercury trailed off deliberately.

"Precisely. Neo is going to be able to get any and all information on Pyrrha that might otherwise be... shall we say, team-exclusive secrets." Cinder's vision once more focused in front of them as they strode through the courtyard. "Our Neo does not have a larger role in the plan until much later on. As such, a little bit of information-gathering on one of our most dangerous obstacles is a very productive use of idle time."

Neo smiled smugly, nodding in absolute, unquestioning agreement with Cinder's reasoning. A glance over to Emerald showed the girl stewing in her own defeat, angry that Cinder was taking another's side over hers. _Tough luck, Fangirl. Better luck next time._

"Shit, if we're free to date the enemy, then why didn't you say so? I'd love to get me a piece of that hot blonde with the big-"

"Don't even say it," Emerald cut the boy off, leveling a finger at him in front of Neo's body.

"Why? Jealous?"

Emerald's face scrunched up in disgust. "Don't flatter yourself. I'd just rather not hear your piggish comments about women. Honestly, I wish you were the mute one instead of Neo."

The girl in question quirked an eyebrow at Emerald. _Rude! _Evil or not, that comment was kind of insensitive! The kind of insensitive that was best corrected with a Hush, if you catch Neo's drift. _Emerald wouldn't like what I have to say to her if I could talk,_ Neo thought idly.

"Enough," Cinder interjected, mercifully putting an end to the teen's bickering. Emerald would obey without question, while Mercury was smart enough not to challenge her. "In any case," she continued, her attention turning back to Neo. "Well done. There are many paths to power, and seduction is as fine a choice as any of them."

_Yeah, like you'd know that._

"Continue as you see fit, and be sure to report your progress back to me. Use whatever means necessary to gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of not just Pyrrha, but her entire team. Polarity could perhaps be just the tip of the iceberg of the knowledge we may glean from them."

Neo dipped her head respectfully, her body saying one thing, her mind another entirely. Good thing none of them had a mind-reading Semblance.

"And Mercury, no, please do not attempt to seduce the Xiao Long girl. I'd rather you not..."

"Make a fool of himself?" Emerald suggested.

"Bitch," the boy said under his breath.

Cinder smiled, apparently amused at her underling's petty rivalry. "...bring any undue attention to yourself," she finished diplomatically.

The boy grunted noncommittally. He knew that Cinder was saying that he'd just be making an ass of himself. Neo couldn't help but agree. Seduction really was more of a female's weapon. Girls didn't normally fall over themselves trying to get their hands on a boy unless they were rich or famous in some capacity. Mercury was neither.

"Until then, however," she continued, returning her attention to Neo. "Join us for tonight's session. That is, unless you already have plans..."

Sadly, Neo did not. Not until tomorrow night. How she wished she could pull out her scroll and text Jaune right now to get her away from these people, but he had already been dragged off by his own team. Neo considered tracking them down and hanging around to get away from her own team, but dismissed the idea. Jaune's team would probably grill their teammate's date, which meant that Neo would be put on the spot. That was the opposite of in control.

She would just have to wait. Tomorrow couldn't come quickly enough.

It will be glorious, too. Bringing Jaune back to her apartment in Vale, she would once more be firmly in control of her situation, which was the release Neo needed. If she wanted to watch a movie on the couch with him? She could make that happen. If she wanted to tease him while he was cooking? She could do that too.

She had tools to play with. Playful flirting. Teasing him. Suggestive body language, which she already knew would fluster Jaune thanks to his own admission last night. The boy was hers to control, like putty in her hands, and more importantly, there wasn't anything or anyone there to control _her_. While this wasn't saying much, Jaune was certainly the nicest guy she had ever known. Neo would be able to relax tomorrow night, safe in the knowledge that she could get Jaune to do anything she needed. If she wanted, she could definitely make him eat more than her ice cream this time.

As Neo walked, her mind once more wandered, this time to their first date. He had really gone all-out on it, much more so than any guy Neo had ever been with had. Then again, no other guy had ever eaten less so that they could afford for her to have whatever she wanted. _That stupid boy_. _What was he trying to do, make me feel bad about it?_

Neo shook that thought from her mind and tried to ignore any uncharacteristic, lingering guilt. No, as fun as he was to tease, Neo wouldn't take it away from him that he genuinely tried to make her happy last night. She appreciated that. At this point, she wasn't so sure if she would be manipulating him or just specifying what she would like from him, and letting his eagerness do the rest.

Still, had she known ahead of time, Neo probably wouldn't have ordered the _most_ expensive entrees she could find. While letting him come to her apartment to cook was a way to keep things inexpensive for him, that was also a reward. She doubted Mr. Too-Shy-For-A-Goodnight-Kiss realized it, but she was technically inviting him to her place on the second date. That was a compliment right there.

On top of regaining some control in her life, she looked forward to it for another reason, too: he was going to make her a home-cooked dinner. She didn't have those. Couldn't even think if she'd ever had one, really. Who needed to cook when you had all the disposable income in the world? She wondered what he would make. If she would enjoy it. If it would leave her wanting more. She hoped so.

Mixing a little pleasure with business always made things easier.

* * *

**Author's Note: One of my favorite things about writing Neo is that she's an almost blank canvas. We know a few things about her. She's sassy, a little bit of a stabby psychopath, and she loves Roman. Other than that? Ready to play with as far as her personality, wants, and goals are in life. Even perfectly suited for a romantic comedy such as this. I hope she's coming off as enjoyable and not too out of character. At least as out of character as a blank canvas can get.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**-_Mallobaude_**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Well, here we go. **

**I don't really have anything witty, clever, or insightful to say for once, so... uh... enjoy the chapter.**

_**-Ikedawg43**_

* * *

Jaune wasn't stupid or clueless. He knew that Neo kept walking ahead of him was to tempt his eyes to roam down a little bit. Just because he knew that didn't mean he was very good at _not_ staring at her hips. _Windows are designed to be looked at, right?_ Maybe hip-windows were the same.

The little smirk she would give when she turned around to see Jaune very nervously look away probably should have scared Jaune more than it did. At least for now, he had something else he could try to focus on.

"What kind of kitchen do you have at your apartment?" Jaune asked, pretending to be all-of-a-sudden _super_ interested in the can of… what were those, shrimp-flavored beans? Yeah, in the can of beans he picked up randomly.

Neo's silence after his question was something he was getting used to. What made him nervous was that he could tell she was looking at him instead of texting an answer or gesturing to him, which told Jaune he'd said something stupid.

"I'm just curious," Jaune added on. "Trying to plan out something easy that I won't burn."

That wasn't strictly true. Jaune had several older sisters and a mother who had taught him to cook, but he liked using a joke to break up any tension. He finally turned to face Neo, who considered his question for a few more moments.

Finally, she gestured with a shaky hand that the kitchen was so-so in size.

"Gee, that's a helpful answer," Jaune commented sarcastically. Neo gave him a flat look for that, but it didn't have any anger behind it. He was starting to get a feel for her sense of humor and what he could get away with, and who didn't enjoy teasing someone just a little? "Does it at least have a stove?"

Neo gave him another flat look, but eventually nodded her head yes.

"Oven?"

Same reaction.

"Oh, then we'll be fine," Jaune announced, before going back to looking over the shelves for inspiration. "I was worried that you had, like, a you-sized kitchen."

Jaune stole a glance at Neo out of the corner of his eye, and did a horrible job at hiding a grin at the utter look of indignation on Neo's face. The follow-up pout she gave him for that made him giggle too, and she gave him a couple of light punches to let him know how funny she found it. Jaune made a note to tone it down a little bit now that he'd had his fun - it wouldn't do to scare her off by being mean on only their second date - but he felt pretty confident that he and Neo were starting to relax around each other.

Well, _he_ was at least, and given how fond Neo was of messing with him with her hips and… uh, other things, Jaune felt like evening the score couldn't hurt.

Neo glared at him with an expression he could only describe as her sizing up something, and a few moments later, she whipped out her scroll.

_You'd better not have a me-sized dick_.

Jaune choked on air as he read the text, and looked up at Neo awkwardly. His cheeks were already heating up a little, and Neo looked absolutely triumphant. There was no mistaking who was better at this, even if Jaune had started teasing her back.

"O-Okay, you win," Jaune surrendered, looking for an easy way to change the subject. Really, he would have changed the subject to _anything_ so long as it wasn't something that made him uncomfortable. "So, why do you have an apartment in Vale if you're from Haven?"

Neo looked caught off-guard by the question, and watching her facial expressions play out on her face was adorable to Jaune. She was surprisingly expressive when she wasn't acting guarded, which shouldn't have surprised Jaune given how her eyes would just magically switch colors while she was eating. He still wanted to know if that was part of her Semblance.

_I'm rich._

Jaune looked at Neo's explanation blankly for a few moments, before looking back up to her. "You're rich?"

She winced a little bit and typed out another text. _Sorta. Family is rich._

"Huh," Jaune let out. That was kind of an odd answer, but then again, if you were rich enough to afford an extra apartment for the month or two you were in Vale, maybe that was all the explanation you _had_ for why you bought an apartment. Jaune doubted that Weiss would have thought twice about doing so.

Wait. _Weiss._ Short and rich. Now Neo, also short and rich. Did… _do I have a type?_

Jaune turned away from Neo awkwardly, not exactly wanting to explain what he'd just figured out. "That makes sense, I guess," he let out, hoping Neo wasn't going to look too much into why he accepted her answer. Of course, he wasn't in it for the money, but it was still a funny coincidence, and he didn't want to talk about a crush on Weiss in front of Neo.

Instead, he decided to focus on the task at hand. Neo had agreed to a second date super fast after their first one, and that could only be good. She'd even agreed to let Jaune cook for her at her place, which was good because that was a lot cheaper for him than taking her out again. He felt it was a good sign that she was willing to help him out by agreeing to a much cheaper date.

They had currently been standing in the middle of the canned veggies for about ten minutes now, although they had been doing very little actual shopping. As much fun as Jaune was having, and he _was_ enjoying this and thought Neo was too, he'd prefer to maybe hurry up and get to their actual date.

"So, uh," Jaune let out a little loudly to get Neo's attention, "do you like mac and cheese?"

How lame of a question, right? Jaune knew that, but he was really just hoping to get the ball rolling here. He kinda had no real clue what to make for Neo, and was just hoping to get her approval on this. If she said yes to mac and cheese, that gave him a good starting point.

He was shocked to turn and see Neo shrug her shoulders indifferently. "You… don't?"

Neo's face contorted as she thought about it, before she gave him an even more pronounced shrug.

"You don't… know?" Jaune asked, and to his surprise, she shook her head yes. "You don't know if you like mac and cheese?"

She nodded again, giving Jaune a bit of a suspicious look.

"You don't _know_ if you like _mac and cheese_?" Jaune repeated a third time, trying to wrap his head around that fact. Like, even if she had said she didn't like it, he could forgive that. Some people were allergic to dairy or were cutting out carbs.

But to not even _know_?

"Have you-and I am scared to ask this-have you ever _had_ it?"

She gave him a very plain head shake. Jaune's jaw dropped a little bit, and Neo actually blushed a little bit at the attention.

_Never had it before,_ she texted.

"How?!"

_I don't eat many home-cooked meals_, she explained.

"But… but still!" Jaune let out, physically struggling to understand. Was Mistral just that weird? Were the people there depraved savages? "You never even tried it when you did cook?"

Neo shook her head no, though there seemed to be a little sheepishness there. She wouldn't look up at Jaune's eyes and instead looked over at the floor instead.

"Neo?" Jaune asked, pulling back a bit and wondering if he'd struck a nerve or something. Her reaction made Jaune feel like there was something else at play here, and he was worried that it-

_I can't reach it._

Okay, not the explanation he feared, which was good. Jaune still had to read the text two more times. It still didn't make sense to him, so he looked up at Neo with a confused look on his face.

Neo pouted, refusing to point her head away from the floor, but she did glare up towards the shelves. Jaune followed her eyes and sure enough, on the side opposite the canned veggies, were the mac and cheese products.

On the top shelf of the aisle.

"You… have never had mac and cheese…" Jaune stated slowly, looking back and forth between Neo and the shelf of cheesy goodness, "...because it's on the top shelf?"

Neo glared at him for making her sound stupid, but couldn't hold it long. Her eyes trailed back to the ground, and she gave him a small, sad nod.

Jaune stood there dumbly for a few seconds. He really had no clue how to react to that, but decided that maybe he could be helpful here. "Have you ever tried asking an employee to-?"

He was going to say '_help'_, but Neo gave him such an intense glare that her eyes switched colors. She may not have been able to reach the mac and cheese, but she could definitely reach the cans of whoop-ass, and her glare warned him that she was not afraid to open one up if he finished that sentence.

"Why not?"

Neo's fingers angrily tapped on the screen. _That's admitting defeat._

Defeat…? Jaune was confused. Was Neo… at war with being short? Maybe it was just at the world for being taller than her? If he understood her text, she couldn't ask for help because that would be giving in. Did all short girls struggle like that?

Now that he thought about it, if he was surrounded by shelves he couldn't reach, he guessed he would be angry at them too. And it would be super embarrassing to have to ask someone for help. _Huh_.

"You could just climb up the shelves if it was that important," he pointed out helpfully. Or, he thought it was helpful.

Neo shook her head no emphatically. That, too, was admitting defeat. _I guess._ Why did he have a thing for short, rich, and feisty girls?

"Okay, okay, nevermind."

Neo turned and started to walk off, sending a wave of panic through Jaune. Had he just royally messed up? "N-Neo? Where are you-?"

She held up her scroll over her shoulder to indicate she would text an explanation and Jaune cut his question short.

_You take care of dinner. I'll take care of dessert._

Oh. Okay, whew. That could have been bad. Jaune just hoped that she meant that she was buying the stuff for dessert. She said it herself that she was rich, after all.

_;)_

A shudder went down Jaune's spine. He did _not_ need her to add that emoji to the previous statement. It made it easier to take her words… in a different direction. He was absolutely certain that was intentional.

Jaune stared down a box of macaroni and cheese as he decided what to make for dinner. This hadn't gotten any easier, but at least Neo was getting dessert. That way, if she hated his cooking, then at least she would be happy afterward. That provided Jaune with a bit of a safety net.

An idea struck Jaune as he stared at some triple-cheese macaroni. Neo had never _had_ mac and cheese because it was on the top shelf…

A few minutes later, Neo found Jaune as he strolled down a different aisle, tapping on his arm to get his attention. He turned around to find her carrying a small basket, and she gave Jaune a smile and waved to announce her return.

His eyes scanned the basket she carried. Ice cream. Another kind of ice cream. A third kind, jeez. She really did lean into the ice cream thing, huh. On top of that, different tubes of ice cream toppings and some whipped cream. And buried under that all, there was a bottle that looked like wine, but Jaune couldn't tell anything beyond that.

Neo stood up on her tip-toes and peered over his shopping cart's wall, making it clear she was wondering if he had a plan yet.

"I think I've got a pretty good plan for dinner," Jaune announced proudly. Neo arched an eyebrow at him expectantly. "I decided that, since you hadn't had mac and cheese because it was on the top shelf, I am going to make dinner with things _only_ from the top shelf!"

Neo looked at him strangely for that, but he did his best not to let her dampen his enthusiasm. This was gonna work great! Jaune had been surprised by how many things he had found to use, and he didn't really need all that much for just two of them.

Neo's scroll was out the next moment. _Are you mocking me?_

"W-What?" Jaune stuttered. "No! No, I would never, Neo! I-" Neo gave him a disbelieving look, even going so far as to give him a head tilt. "-I was just trying to be nice! I thought you might like getting to try some new things…"

Neo's expression softened when she realized he was being honest, though she still looked a little miffed. _Why, so I know what I'm missing out on?_

"What? No, that's not it," Jaune defended. "I just thought it would be fun for you. As long as I'm around, you can have all the things off the high shelves that you want."

Neo scrutinized Jaune with a suspicious look for a lot longer than Jaune was comfortable, but he didn't crack.

_Fine_, she gave in via text. _This shit had better be really good then._

* * *

Home sweet home.

It had been a few weeks since Neo had been to her apartment. The familiar scent of the place wafted through her nostrils, bringing a feeling of nostalgia and comfort to the young woman. Stepping inside before Jaune, she scanned around the room and saw-

A complete mess!

Heterochromatic eyes widened. This place was a dump!

Neo had never been one to be a very tidy person. Why did she need to be when she never had guests over? She didn't have friends. Roman rarely visited for coffee or brunch. It was just Neo and her bountiful, illicit possessions that littered the place. Emphasis on both _bountiful_ and _illicit. _

"I'm surprised, this place is pretty big for just one person," Jaune commented behind her.

She spun around to see him eyeing the place. Luckily none of the lights were on just yet, and at this time of year the sun had already begun to dip below the horizon. Darkness was her ally here and now, and she could only hope he hadn't seen _too _much already.

Neo may have been a criminal, but she refused to let anyone, even this dopey boy, think she was a pig.

She grabbed hold of his arms, which were busy right now clutching the bags of groceries they had purchased, and began to quickly lead him through the living room and into the kitchen.

"Whoa, Neo," he said suddenly as she dragged him along. "What's up?"

She didn't stop. With one arm linked around his own, she ushered him into what was undoubtedly the cleanest room in her apartment. After all, Neo wasn't one to do much home cooking. Her countertops and stove were pristine and spotless.

Turning on the light, she saw how Jaune set the bags down and glanced around, sizing up the place as to get an idea what he was working with. He would be the only one cooking, after all. Even if Neo did know something about the finer culinary arts - ice cream - _he_ was still the one who was preparing the meal for _her_. It wouldn't do to have her own cooking on a date.

"Okay, okay," Jaune nodded. He opened up a few cabinets and drawers one by one, finding cooking utensils, pots, and other items that Neo didn't even remember purchasing. Probably because she'd _stolen_ them. "I think I know what I'm working with here. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to make what I had in mind."

Neo nodded, giving him a thumbs-up before turning. She was stopped before she could exit the room.

"By the way, any allergies I should be aware of?" he asked. Neo turned to view the boy who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I suppose I should have asked that while we were at the store. Whoops."

Neo's lips twisted in thought, and her eyes migrated to the ceiling briefly as she considered the question. She wasn't certain she'd ever been asked that before. In the end, her gaze returned to the boy and she shook her head no.

"Okay, great," he smiled. "So you wanna see how a master chef makes a delicious meal on a twenty lien budget?"

Honestly? No. But even if she had wanted to see that, there was work to be done. A living room and dining room that were in dire need of attention.

The girl whipped out her scroll and began typing away furiously on the keyboard. In no time at all her answer was delivered to Jaune.

_It's been a while since I've been here,_ she messaged him. _Let me get it ready for dinner._

Jaune read the message on his scroll and looked back up at her. Another soft smile played on his lips, which Neo returned in order to keep him from getting suspicious. "Sounds good. I'll be here if you need me."

_Of course, where else would you be? _she thought to herself.

"But if you'd like I can help you clean up," he said, taking a step forward. Neo's eyes widened, and she set her scroll aside before putting her hands up. Just in time to catch Jaune's broad chest running into them.

She was forced back a step at the impact. _He's like a fucking train!_

Luckily the boy got the hint and he stopped on contact. "Neo?" he questioned.

She didn't exactly want to tell him that he had to stay in the kitchen while she cleaned up all of the incriminating evidence in her apartment. Instead, her eyes darted around the room, catching a glimpse of the bags of food resting on the counter.

Her eyes met his once more, and Neo pointed down at her stomach before rubbing circles on it with her palm.

"Oh, I guess you must be pretty hungry," Jaune surmised. He cracked a smile as he looked down at her.

Neo nodded vigorously. It was nice that he was able to pick up on her intent, even if it was a lie. Well, not entirely a lie. She _was_ hungry, but right now she just needed the boy to stay put and cook like a good little house husband.

He chuckled, that earnest smile beaming down on her once more. Gods, he really was just too genuine for his own good. He would have made any other girl he had matched with incredibly happy had they gotten to him first, with how great of a pamperer he was turning out to be.

Too bad for them she'd gotten her hands on him before they had.

"Alright, I'll leave the cleaning to you then. I guess we make a pretty good team, don't we? Efficiency at its finest."

Neo nodded once more, giving him her best forced smile before turning once more and hurrying from the room. After a look back to see that he wasn't following after her, Neo turned on the living room light to illuminate what had once been where she spent most of her free time before coming to Beacon.

The first thing that caught her sight was the tall, messy stack of lien notes on the table, probably gleaned from some sort of robbery that she and Roman had committed at some point. Judging by the colors of the notes, it was worth several thousand lien. More than enough to make Jaune question its presence there. While she had said she was rich, not even rich people kept scattered piles of money lying around their home. And honestly, what had she been thinking just leaving it out anyway?

That didn't matter right now. The only question was where to put it all...

Her eyes lit up with an idea, and Neo marched back into the kitchen with a plan. Ignoring the surprised look Jaune gave her, she grabbed one of the bags of groceries from the counter and picked it up.

"Oh, did you change your-"

And promptly dumped its contents on the counter, leaving an empty bag in her hands.

"Or not."

Without sparing him a glance she hurried back out to the living room and to the lien pile. Grabbing handfuls of the plastic cards, she tossed them without care into the bag. All that mattered was that they were out of sight. The bag could be chunked in the closet for all she cared.

Okay. That was done. Next came...

The empty boxes from Amazing-dot-com. Criminal she may have been, but there were some things you could only order online. And Amazing was the number one site in online purchases in all of Remnant. And technically speaking, since she _was_ using stolen lien to buy the stuff, it still counted as free.

Looking around at the scattered boxes, Neo realized just how bad her online shopping addiction was. It wasn't her fault! She needed stuff to fill up such a large apartment! As for the mess itself... well, it was just so hard and inconvenient to bring all her recycling out to properly dispose of it. It wasn't like she could just go out back and put it in the alley trash can like normal people. As a result...

That was a lot of boxes. They needed to be _dealt_ with. And what better way to _deal_ with her problems than the razor-sharp blade of Hush?

Grabbing her parasol, a sharp scrape of the blade along the sheath revealed the long, thin blade of her weapon. With a gleam in her eye and a grin on her face which Hush always elicited from her, she began to swiftly and delicately carve through the many shipping boxes she had received from Amazing, and began flattening them for quick disposal in another room.

Slice! Stab! Cut! Slice! Stab! Cut!

What a glorious feeling it was. It had been far too long since Hush had seen any action.

Action cut all too short by the interruption from her guest.

"Hey, Neo," the familiar voice of Jaune sounded from the kitchen. She looked up just in time to see him emerge.

Thinking quickly, and not wanting to see her gleefully cutting and stabbing cardboard boxes, Neo used her Semblance to disguise the curve-handled blade of Hush into the first thing she could think of.

He paused, his vision focused entirely on her and her... weapon. "Is that a... candy cane?"

Neo rushed forward to fill his vision with her body instead of what was behind her. _Thank god he can't ever pass up a chance to look at my hips._ She nodded furiously to his question.

Jaune frowned, but otherwise nodded before holding up his hand. He was holding a scroll. _Her_ scroll! "I didn't mean to snoop, but you left your scroll in the kitchen and you just got a text. It's from your Uncle Nomar."

Her eyes widened once more, and she was thankful she had thought to disguise Roman's name on her scroll for the purpose of her undercover mission. She snatched the device from his hand quickly before unlocking the scroll and reading the message from him.

"He said something about the mission, so I'm guessing he meant the Vytal Tournament, right?" Jaune asked.

Sure enough, Roman was messaging her for an update on the whole infiltrate Beacon operation. It was good that Jaune came up with a cover story for her all on his own. All she had to do was agree with him.

Neo nodded once more, the smug expression on her face combined with the finger-gun gesture aimed at Jaune intended to feed his ego in being correct.

"Aw, well that's nice of him. But you should let him know the tournament isn't for another couple of weeks."

She gave the boy another thumbs-up, and hurriedly put Hush behind her back while using the other hand to guide Jaune back into the kitchen. It wouldn't do to accidentally stab her date while attempting to get him back to preparing their food.

"Wow, you really must be hungry," he laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the hint. I'll get it done as soon as possible!"

When he turned back to regard her, Neo smiled up at him sweetly. Then after he had turned away from her once more, the smile fell immediately and she rushed back out to the living room.

A couple more minutes of box-murdering had cleared up that mess, and Neo took hold of the pile of cardboard that stood almost half her height in her arms. With a grunt of effort, she lifted and carried them toward the one room Jaune wouldn't be seeing tonight: her bedroom. As much as she liked to tease the boy, he would need to _earn_ the privilege of experiencing that kind of fun with her. And even with all of the pampering that Neo was already enjoying, it would take something truly remarkable for that to happen.

Besides, the doofus hadn't even _tried_ to give her a goodnight kiss after a nice date. There was no chance he was going to push her for anything tonight.

With a silent huff, Neo stepped back out into the living room once more. Incriminating piles of lien? Gone. Mountain of shipping boxes from online retailers? Dealt with. What was left...

Loose stuffing caught her eye, which confused Neo until she found the source. One of the couch pillows had been mangled by Hush, with numerous gashes and stabs. _Oh, yeah._ Whenever Neo played that stupid game on her scroll, she always came up against one of those stupid whales who paid for boosts. Because Neo wasn't capable of tracking each of them down and taking it out on them directly, her poor couch pillow suffered her wrath instead.

Neo thought about chunking the pillow, but decided she would probably need its services soon anyway. She went ahead and flipped it over so that the good side was all that could be seen.

The sight of something dark lay underneath the coffee table. A closer glance revealed... black lace panties. Among other loose articles of clothing. Why would Neo have stripped in the living room of all places? _How had those even-?_

Oh, right. When you lived alone, it was just fun to do whatever you wanted, _wherever_ you wanted. And if that meant you wanted to get dressed while standing in the living room watching TV, you _did it._ Because you _could._ Neo missed that freedom, and silently growled very nasty words directed at Cinder.

Let's see. Skirt. Blouse. Stockings? Oh, right. That little black ensemble she had tried on. The one that went with her black pigtails and green eyes look Neo had experimented with as a cover. She liked that one. She'd probably give it a go sometime at the tournament. Or... maybe she'd give it a dry run on Jaune to see how he reacted to it.

Scooping up the first bundle of clothes, Neo rushed back to her bedroom and threw them unceremoniously on the floor. Coming back out, she scanned the floor to see that only the pair of panties remained. Picking them up, she stretched them out in her hands to get a memory of just what they looked like. They were little and cute, just like her. Black flower patterns made of lace adorned the tiny thing, and Neo remembered just why she had chosen them for her 'Mint' outfit in the first-

"Uh... Neo?"

A set of brown and pink eyes glanced up, just in time to see Jaune standing in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. His eyes, much like hers had just been, were locked on the panties.

"Um, sorry," he said, taking a step back. "I can wait."

Neo's body trembled in equal parts embarrassment and anger. It was out of pure instinct and reaction that she pulled out...

A giant candy cane, pointing it menacingly at Jaune. Its red stripes probably matched her cheeks, and definitely matched Jaune's.

"I'll just... find it on my own," the boy said, stepping back inside the kitchen.

Angry eyes regarded the disguised weapon she had just silently challenged Jaune with before lowering it. Yeah, that must have looked great. With panties in one hand and a giant novelty candy cane in another, she must have looked like a total weirdo to the boy. Mortified, Neo wondered just what it was that Jaune thought that massive candy cane was used for, given that he'd seen it and her lace panties together...

Maybe she should flip over the stabbing pillow again and give it a good few shanks with Hush. If nothing else, just to vent her embarrassment.

Neo sighed, balling up the underwear in her fist before trudging to her room with her head hung low. She only hoped that dinner would be delicious enough to justify this bullshit she had just endured. If Jaune so much as breathed a word about what he'd just seen, Neo was prepared to go scorched-earth with her teasing.

* * *

Neo hadn't dared enter the kitchen after the humiliation of Jaune catching her admiring her own underwear. Normally, it might have been weird to feel locked out of her own kitchen, but considering it was a rarity that she stepped foot in the room as it was, it wasn't really anything new.

Instead, she just cleared off the dining room table and made it fit to eat off. At least there weren't any piles of lien or undergarments laying on it. All it needed was a quick wipe down to clear it of dust and it was good to go. She couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten off the table, always opting to dine on carryout or delivery cuisine on her couch while watching TV. As any civilized person does. Especially any civilized person with disposable funds that made buying takeout daily pretty easy.

The sound of heavy, somewhat clumsy footsteps alerted her to her date's presence, and Jaune emerged from the kitchen balancing a pair of large bowls, one in each hand. He looked like a server at a restaurant, and a part of her hoped that his untrained hands would lose their grips on the oversized bowls and send their dinners crashing down to the floor. Because honestly? It would be funny.

"Sorry for the wait," he smiled apologetically. "A lot of your utensils were just kinda dusty so I had to wash them first before using them. I guess 'cause you don't spend much time at home now that you're at Beacon, right?"

_Yeah… that's exactly the reason,_ her mind lied. She almost felt insulted at how Jaune believed her kitchen was abandoned and dusty because she wasn't native to Vale. Neo was capable of such better and more clever lies, and yet she didn't even need to come up with anything. He just… trusted her.

She shrugged noncommittally, not meeting his eye as he approached the table with the bowls. When he set them down, she eyed the contents of her own suspiciously.

"It's a big salad," he proclaimed proudly. Neo could obviously see that, and it didn't help her already dubious opinion of his 'home-cooked meal.' "Now, I know what you might be thinking, '_what's so special about salad?_'"

Maybe the boy wasn't _as _clueless as he looked. She peered up at him, nodding slowly to indicate both her agreement and willing him to continue with what was obviously going to be an explanation behind the choice.

"But, this is a special salad," he continued. "Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cheese, croutons, grilled chicken strips. Aaaand. Top shelf dressing."

She gave him a flat, unimpressed look. Neo could reach most of those items at the supermarket, and he _had_ proclaimed he was going to make her a dinner she couldn't have reached on her own.

"Hey, at least the dressing is from the top shelf," Jaune defended a little sheepishly. He'd done a remarkably good job at understand what she'd been getting at. "Turns out, it's a lot harder to make a full meal that way than I thought."

Neo rolled her eyes, but was too hungry to delay dinner just to antagonize him over that. She gave the salad another look over. There was indeed chicken littered throughout the dish. At least the boy had the sense not to serve entirely rabbit food on their date. Then again, it may have been a little bit fitting from the boy who wore a hoodie with a cartoon rabbit face on it.

"_Ooh_, I do have one more top-shelf item, though! I'll be right back," he said quickly, before turning and walking back over to the kitchen.

Neo grabbed her fork and poked the salad experimentally, like it might come alive and attack her if provoked. Sadly, it was just salad. Perhaps this was her punishment for draining the teenage boy's funds during their first date.

When Jaune emerged from the kitchen again, he carried with him a large bowl along with two small plates underneath it. Even from a few feet away, Neo could see hot steam rising from the bowl. The faint smell of cheese tingled in her nose.

"I know you said you never had mac and cheese before," he said, placing one of the small plates down in front of her. He began scooping some out onto her plate. "So I hope you like it. I picked the extra cheesy one from the best brand in the store. It's gonna knock your socks off!"

She was tempted to send some sort of teasing text message about him wishing to see her clothing stripped off her, but another glance at the salad gave her a better idea. It was still pristine in its preparation, not yet mixed so that the dressing on top wasn't mixed into the rest of it.

Grabbing hold of her scroll and hiding a smirk, she shot him a message pertaining to their dinner. _So are you going to toss my salad tonight?_

Half a second later Jaune's scroll buzzed and he read the message eagerly. Blue eyes looked up to meet her own.

"Oh. Sure," he said innocently. "I didn't even think to… uh..."

He trailed off as he caught Neo wiggling her eyebrows playfully at him. A devious smirk played on her lips for him to see now, all but forcing him to get the meaning of her double entendre.

Those eyes of his widened. "W-Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that! I thought you meant the actual salad!"

Her thumbs went to work again, necessity forcing her to become a speedy texter. _Of course I meant the salad. What did you think I meant?_

"I-I…"

_You're a dirty boy with dirty thoughts_, she sent teasingly.

Jaune's face paled as he read the message, not catching on quite yet. This was totally payback for making her a salad. "Neo, I swear I didn't mean that! I have never once thought about that sort of thing with you!"

Oh, this was too much. Teasing the boy was a gloriously entertaining thing. She hadn't been expecting dinner _and_ a show tonight, but sometimes you just had to make your own entertainment. Luckily with this boy, it was both easy and fun.

_I get it. You don't think I'm pretty enough to think about like that. I'm too short, aren't I?_

The boy was practically hyperventilating now. She had stuck him between a rock and a hard place with her teasing, and she could see legitimate panic in his eyes. He could either admit that he found her attractive and had perverted thoughts about her, or blatantly lie and say that he didn't think she was beautiful.

That deer in the headlights look in his eyes made Neo silently chortle, and poor Jaune was too petrified to even notice her amusement. After long seconds of letting his anxiety linger, she decided to throw him a bone.

_;)_

He stared down at his scroll for a few moments before looking up. He was met with a shit-eating grin that told him the whole story.

"Oh my gods, Neo," he breathed, more relieved than upset. "You-you're kidding, right?"

She nodded deliberately, grinning a toothy smile that might have bordered on evil.

"Oh thank gods. You… you really had me going there for a minute."

She knew that. It's why it was so much fun.

"So, for the record. Did you want me to actually… mix your actual food salad up for you?"

She shook her head no. She may have been short but she wasn't a child. She was capable of eating her own food.

"Gotcha. Well then, I hope it's good. It may not be the fanciest meal ever, but I think you'll enjoy it."

Neo hoped so too. She hadn't had any sort of home cooking since she was a small child. It would be interesting to see what her date could come up with on a twenty lien budget.

The main course may have been the salad, but the curiosity of the macaroni and cheese was tempting both her nostrils and her taste buds. Her fork went there first instead, scooping up a heap of the cheesy noodles and sliding them into her mouth.

Part of Neo wanted to not like the mac and cheese, purely on principle. It would be a little embarrassing if it turned out that it wasn't bad, because then it meant she'd let being a little vertically challenged rob her of the experience.

That part of Neo shut the hell up as an explosion of cheesy goodness covered her tongue. Eyes bulged with shock at the taste of a mere boxed food. She slowly and cautiously began to chew, which only released more cheese from inside the macaroni. Neo was going into cheese overload.

"Good?" her date asked from across the table, filled with hope that his dinner was received well.

Neo glanced up to see Jaune looking at her with a smile on his face. She hadn't realized at the time, but he had probably been watching her the whole time to gauge her reaction.

She nodded in confirmation, filling her fork with noodles again before quickly devouring them. Instead of stabbing a few noodles with the fork, she used the thing more like a shovel to load as many onto one scoop as was physically possible.

"Your eyes changed colors like at the restaurant," he commented, watching her with a genuine smile that might have made Neo blush were she not focused so fully on her mac and cheese. "I think I'm starting to figure out that means you like something."

Yeah, sure, something like that. Intense emotions could trigger an involuntary shift if they overwhelmed her. In Jaune's experience, both instances had been with food, so naturally he thought it was food-related.

Jaune stabbed a forkful of rabbit food as he spoke. "Well, I'm glad you like it. It sucks that this is the first time you've been able to have it, but better late than never I sup-"

Jaune cut himself off as the sound of shattering glass behind him made him flinch. He turned around, looking for the source of the noise, not realizing that Neo had made a small ball with her Semblance under the table and then tossed it behind Jaune subtly. Honestly, she hadn't even intended to, but her instincts had taken over. She wanted something badly, and deep down her first instinct was to distract anyone looking and then steal it.

When Jaune looked back up, everything that had even a trace of mac and cheese on it was sitting in front of Neo. That included the large bowl of the whole mac and cheese batch, and even Jaune's own plate.

It wasn't until Jaune looked back at Neo that she realized she'd just stolen his food. That was a pretty low move to pull on someone, even by her standards. If anything, he should have been rewarded for all his work to give Neo the mac and cheese in the first place.

That didn't mean she wanted to give it back, though. Neo gave Jaune a guilty smile, and somewhat nervously waited to see what he would say.

"Oh, hey, you… _really _like it, huh?" the boy commented uneasily. She nodded eagerly. "That's… awesome."

Neo knew how she must have looked right now. A gluttonous, unrefined slob who was scarfing down macaroni and cheese like a dog who had been given a bowl of canned food.

Yet she didn't care, and neither it seemed did Jaune, which was another point in the boy's favor. But all that mattered now was the macaroni. Her veins were filled with gooey, processed cheese instead of blood. For nearly twenty years she had been deprived of this taste sensation. She needed to make up for lost time.

Tonight she dined on the food of the gods. Delivered to her by a boy who was tall enough to provide it for her, domestic enough to cook it, and sweet enough to just be happy that she was happy.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Being a Huntress had many additional perks. Okay, so Neo wasn't technically a Huntress, but she was, like, the criminal equivalent of it. Plus she _was_ going to Beacon for the moment. Either way, Neo's very active lifestyle lent itself to burning a lot of calories and developing a huge appetite. She had displayed that appetite on their first date.

Yet Neo was _stuffed_ on mac and cheese now, and regretted nothing. It was the greatest meal of her life.

_You mean you people have been eating this stuff for years?_ she texted Jaune as she stacked both of her plates into the now-empty bowl that had once contained two boxes-worth of macaroni and cheese.

"Yup," Jaune answered, smiling at her. Either he was smiling because she was euphoric from her dinner, or he was smiling because he'd done a good job with dinner. She didn't see any reason to be upset about it either way. "It's pretty good, huh?"

_It's fucking amazing,_ Neo responded, which made Jaune chuckle.

She leaned back in her chair, more full from a meal than she'd been in a while. As she leaned her head back, a wave of post-food tiredness hit her. With how full she was, she had the urge to curl up under a blanket and go into a food coma.

"Well, I hoped you saved room for dessert," Jaune announced, pushing himself up from his seat and taking their used dishes into the kitchen.

Oh shit. Neo'd forgotten that she'd bought ice cream. Honestly, right now, she didn't think that she did have room for dessert. That may have been the first time Neo ever would have considered turning down ice cream.

She could still eat _some_. She just needed to get up and walk around. You know, prepare herself for even more delicious food. Honestly, this hadn't been a bad way to spend a night at all.

Neo's eyes spied the couch, and it looked _extremely_ comfortable right now, what with the beginning of a food coma coming on and all. She could have Jaune bring them both some ice cream to the couch while she found some movie to watch.

Neo hesitated. Did she really want to invite him to watch a movie and 'chill' now? If she'd been interested in just hooking up, well, they never would have made it to a second date. Since they had, well, anything that happened now would be a lot more intimate than just a hook-up. As much as Neo enjoyed teasing Jaune, he hadn't earned _that_.

A satisfied rumble of her stomach reminded her that he'd sure as hell earned something, though. If he wanted to actually watch a movie together? Neo could go for that. If he pressed her for more, he'd get nothing.

Neo knew he wouldn't, though. This was Jaune she was talking about. She doubted he would even make a move to put his arm around her without prompting. Neo would be, as she craved so much, in control the whole time.

_Make us both a bowl. I'll find a movie to watch,_ she texted him, plopping down on the couch.

Jaune arrived a minute or two later, just as Neo had scrolled through her cable channels and found some generic Spruce Willis movie rerun to put on. Action movies were much more her speed than, say, rom-coms.

"I noticed that the ice cream scoops weren't as dusty as all the other utensils," Jaune commented cryptically as he handed Neo a bowl of ice cream topped with some whipped cream. "I take it that someone eats a lot of ice cream, am I right?"

Neo rolled her eyes at the accusation, catching Jaune's good-natured smile and realizing he was just teasing her. She accepted the bowl of ice cream and gave him a nod. There was no reason to try denying _that_.

Jaune sat down next to Neo, leaving a couple inches between them. Given Mr. Shy, she'd half-expected him to sit on the opposite end as her. She wouldn't have minded if he'd sat right up next to her, but she also appreciated the respect he treated her with. It made her feel important.

Neo tried her hardest to eat the ice cream, but only made it maybe a quarter of the way through before she had to admit that there was no way she was finishing it. Mac and cheese had dealt Neo her biggest defeat in years, it seemed.

There would have to be a rematch between her and the cheesy goodness. Maybe Jaune could facilitate that.

Looking up from her ice cream at the boy, she began to get an idea. There was a much more fun use for her ice cream at the moment. Neo had bought the same type of ice cream as she'd had as part of her dessert on their first date, and that reminded her of how she'd messed with Jaune then.

And since Jaune had finished his ice cream already, surely he would want some of hers, no?

Neo scooted a little closer to Jaune, leaving about an inch between the two of them, and gently nudged him with her elbow to get his attention. When Jaune looked down, Neo held out a scoop of ice cream on her spoon for him just like on their first date.

His eyes met hers hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

Given her normal obsession with ice cream, it was to fair question if she really wanted to give any of hers up, so Neo nodded to reassure him. Jaune eyed the spoon again, blushing a little bit, before giving in and accepting the offering.

Huh. That hadn't been nearly as entertaining of a reaction as she had hoped for. Had she really broken Jaune of his shyness that easily? If so, Neo was going to be a little disappointed.

She decided to step her game up. She elbowed Jaune again, and he looked down to find her scooping out another scoop for him. Jaune caught on quickly, it seemed, and his eyes followed her spoon.

Right up until she went and smeared the ice cream on her cheek.

Jaune's eyes went wide, and Neo smirked proudly. _There_ was the reaction she was looking for. He looked to her for reassurance, probably doubting that he was reading the situation correctly. Neo gave him a sweet, reassuring smile to let him know he wasn't doing anything she wasn't allowing him to, and then to make her instructions unmistakeable, she tilted her head to point her ice cream-stained cheek towards him.

"N-Neo?"

She didn't answer, continuing to wait expectantly with her cheek facing him.

Jaune's face grew redder by the second, and it took several before Jaune worked up the courage to lean in towards her. Neo summoned a lot of self-control to not giggle at Jaune, knowing that would probably shatter whatever courage he did muster up.

Jaune's tongue was much warmer than the ice cream on her face, even though it did not stick around for any longer than it had to. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, though, and she was sure Jaune would agree. That is, if he was capable of saying anything at the moment. The boy stared back ahead at the TV screen, his face a deep shade of red and his shoulders hunched over out of embarrassment.

Neo grinned madly. He was too bashful for his own good sometimes. She knew that he wouldn't be so embarrassed if he hadn't enjoyed it, too.

For good measure, she leaned over against his arm, feeling him tense up even further for a few moments. The poor boy was too shy to even look down at her, and Neo found the whole thing hysterically funny.

If he was so easy to tease with that, how far could she push it?

She could almost feel Jaune's dread when she elbowed him again. His face was still pretty red, and she gave him a genuine smile to try to calm him down. When Neo offered him another scoop of ice cream without smearing it anywhere to show him everything was normal between them still, he relaxed visibly and accepted it.

The fool.

She let him calm down a little more before elbowing him one last time. Jaune looked over to her with most of the color in his cheeks gone, to see her take another scoop of ice cream.

And smear it on her chest, right at the top of her cleavage.

She could almost hear Jaune's brain stop functioning. By the time it had rebooted, his face had gone fully red.

"Hah… hah… Neo, you're…" Jaune sputtered, which only entertained Neo further. Not to mention stroked her ego a little as well. "...you're such a kidder, Neo. R-Right?"

Neo could see the panic on Jaune's face, and his question was an obvious plea. Neo made a show of looking left and right with her eyes suspiciously, before making eye contact again and giving him a wink. She knew he wouldn't dare take her up on this offer, which was exactly why she did it.

That panic on Jaune's face exploded. In his current state, he did the only thing he could think of.

"Y-Yeah, you're such a kidder," he sputtered out again, wrapping his arm around Neo's shoulders and pulling her into his side tightly, then staring forward at the TV, pretending with all his will that nothing had happened. Notably, this prevented him from being able to lean down to the ice cream. After a few moments of wiggling, Neo found that Jaune was holding her so firmly that she really couldn't move at all.

She should have been ticked by that, but Neo was laughing too hard to be upset. She _had_ pushed him too far, so she probably deserved this anyways. Neo did take a finger and wipe off the ice cream from her chest before it started to melt, licking it off her finger idly. There wasn't any reason to let it go to waste, after all.

_Oh well._ She'd found Jaune's limit, at least for now. If her punishment was to watch a movie with his arm around her, she could live with that. Maybe that was just the push Jaune needed to make a move. It would be interesting to see what the boy's idea of a move was. If it wasn't to her liking her could stop it dead in its tracks. Emphasis on the _dead_ part if he ever got too handsy with her. No, Neo was the one in control. She would dictate how far he would be allowed to go. All of this up until now was simple teasing for her own amusement. He, like any other man, would have to _earn_ the right to even dream about tasting anything below her cheek.

She wasn't used to being this physically close to another person. The survivalist instinct inside her had to be squashed down, and the urge to escape the hands of another needed repressing. She had to remind herself over and over again that she was in no danger. This was _Jaune. _Probably the least threatening person to her on Remnant.

It may have been the mac and cheese talking, but Neo was really comfortable. Jaune was pretty warm, and she trusted him enough to let herself relax, despite having some of the control of the situation taken when he hugged her to his side. Maybe this was his first move. The classic one of putting an arm around your girlfriend's shoulders while watching a movie together. He hadn't even done the whole yawning trick though. However, she could chalk that one up to the move being done out of sheer panic rather than being planned.

Despite him being comparable to a gigantic stuffed animal, she was the person being held like one. She _did_ have the height for it, after all. She would allow it this once. Besides, her eyelids were heavy, which was _definitely _the mac and cheese's fault.

Neo rested her head up against Jaune's chest. She could just close her eyes for a few moments and let the tiredness pass. The sounds of the movie playing on her TV would keep her awake while she recharged her batteries for just a minute.

She was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**AN: Writing Neo bringing Jaune to her apartment was tons of fun. It was a bit of a challenge to think about what kind of stuff Neo might have lying around, what could be funny, what might add a little more spice or charm to her character, and what could fit into a typical romantic comedy type situation. In the end I found her threatening him with a gigantic novelty candy cane too amusing.**

**Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.**

_**-Mallobaude**_


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